Miru Hoshi
by Reinao Tanaka
Summary: After eight years, Sasuke returns to Konoha. His plan is to rebuild the Uchiha clan, but will things go exactly as he has planned? SasukexHinata SasuHina Rated T for thematic elements. Please no flaming! I am not a marshmallow.
1. Prologue

This is my first Naruto fanfic. I realize that its another one of those Sasuke defeats Orochimaru and Itachi and returns to Konoha stories, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the twist I'm going to put on it. What will that be? Well, you'll just have to keep reading to see. This is a Sasu-Hina romance, so if you don't like the pairing, then don't read or flame.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. If I did, well, it wouldn't be called Naruto for one. And Neji and Itachi would make many more appearances than they do. So no, I don't own Naruto.

Hn-- regular stuff

"Hn"-- talking

_'Hn'_-- thinking

_Hn-- f_lashback

'Hn'-- thinking inside a flashback

* * *

Prologue

A shadowed figure leapt from branch to branch, passing swiftly as the wind through the trees. His smooth brow was furrowed and his obsidian eyes were clouded in thought. It was obvious that the focusing of chakra to his feet was purely instinctive. His mind was clearly a thousand miles away and his body was operating on autopilot.

Sasuke Uchiha, for it was he, mulled slowly over the events that had shaped his life since he left Konoha eight years earlier. He had trained for several years under Orochimaru, learning all the sannin could teach him. When the man had attempted to convert him into a container for his evil soul, Sasuke had killed him. He then proceeded to track down his older brother, Itachi. The young man's eyes darkened as he recalled the last sight of Itachi's bloody body before it was obliterated in a ball of fire. The secrets of the Sharingan were too precious to leave lying around for anyone to stumble upon. That thought ignited a surge of memory of a night that had forever changed his life.

**FLASHBACK**

_Sasuke was running as fast as his little-boy legs could take him. He had stayed late at the academy to practice, and it was now after dark. His mother would be furious with him for coming home this late. The sector of the Uchiha compound through which he ran was deserted. He thought he felt eyes on him, but when he looked around, there was no one there. It slowly dawned on him that something was wrong._

"_It's too early for everyone to be sleeping," he murmured, looking around at the dark houses._

_Sasuke again began to run, a feeling of foreboding welling up in his heart. He skidded around a corner and froze. Carnage met his eyes. Kunai and shuriken everywhere, blood…bodies._

"_What is this?" he whispered, starting forward, hardly daring to breathe. His legs quickened until he was racing, trying to flee the scene before him. However, the deeper into the Uchiha compound he ran, the worse it became. He slid to a stop in front of two familiar bodies. This couple had spoken with him on the way to the academy this morning, assuring him that he would become a great ninja. At the realization that they were dead, another thought struck him._

"_Father…Mother…" he said._

_Had this massacre reached his own home? Were his parents and older brother safe, or were they…Sasuke shoved the thought away and darted toward his home. He slid the door open and stepped inside, fearing what he might find. All was dark, he could see nothing._

"_Father? Mother?" he called softly, "Are you here?"_

_He paused to remove his shoes and bag, and then stepped farther into the house. He checked the kitchen: empty. He stepped inside, looking around. The sound of a body hitting the floor reached his ears, causing him to gasp. Stumbling, he ran toward his parent's bedroom. He reached for the handle of one of the doors, when he heard the sound of another body falling._

'Someone's in there,'_ he realized._

_His body froze with terror and he had to open his mouth to drag in breaths._

'Move,'_ he told himself. _

_His foot slowly stepped forward, trembling. _

'Move,'_ he repeated. _

_His hand lifted toward the door._

'Move!'_ he commanded, placing his other hand on the second handle and pushing the door open._

_It swung back with an eerie creak and there, lying in a patch of moonlight that came through the window, were the bodies of his parents. His father lay overtop his mother, as though he had tried to protect her. Judging by the blood pooled around them and the limpness of their bodies, he had been unsuccessful._

"_Father! Mother!" he cried, heedless of the fact that their murderer might still be in the room._

_He dashed forward, but stopped as the doors shut behind him. There was the sound of footsteps in the darkness behind his parents. Slowly, a form stepped into the light. Sasuke backed away, breaths coming in short gasps. He paused as the figure stopped, only his face still hidden in darkness. This man was familiar. At last, he turned his face to the light, and Sasuke recognized him. It was Itachi, his older brother. The man's crimson Sharingan glinted in the moonlight as he stared down at the little boy, but Sasuke's fear was subsiding slightly. Itachi was an experienced ninja. He would know what to do. He could fix whatever had gone wrong._

"_Brother," he whispered, then gathered his voice, "Brother, Father and Mother were…who did this?"_

_A shuriken flew past him, embedding itself in the door behind the boy. He stared for a moment, stunned, and then winced in pain as his shirt ripped and he felt blood oozing from the cut the metal star had carved into his arm._

"_Brother, what are you…" he whimpered, clutching the wound._

_Itachi stared back at him wordlessly, expression revealing nothing. They matched gazes for several long moments—Itachi impassive, Sasuke growing more terrified by the second._

"_What are you doing, brother?" Sasuke asked._

"_Foolish little brother," the man stated, closing his eyes._

_Sasuke shivered, sure something terrible was about to happen. Itachi opened his eyes and said quietly, "Mangekyou Sharingan."_

The world around Sasuke froze and then reversed colors. The sky above him was the color of blood, the clouds black. A man collapsed in front of him, then a woman. Sasuke tried to run, but…

'_My legs,' _he thought.

Two more people fell dead, then another, then more than he could count. Shuriken flew through the air, blood splashed. Sasuke screamed in agony, trying to block out the sight of his clan being massacred.

"Stop! Brother! Don't show me this!" he cried.

More bodies collapsed around him and he saw Itachi, watching him.

"Why," he moaned, "Why do you do this, brother?"

He saw men rushing toward Itachi to stop him.

"No…" he whispered.

They grew closer to the unmoving man.

"No…" he repeated.

Itachi barely moved and the men went flying backward, all of them dead. Sasuke screamed again, the sound pure agony. Suddenly he stood in his parent's room, watching Itachi loom up behind them.

"Father, Mother!" he tried to warn them.

Itachi raised his sword.

"Don't, brother! Don't do that to Father and Mother," he cried.

The sword lifted, then came down. Blood went everywhere.

_Sasuke cried out and fell to his knees. The world had returned to its normal colors. The Sharingan faded from Itachi's eyes, returning them to their natural shade of onyx. Sasuke fell to the floor, breathing heavily. He was exhausted from the mental attack, his body shuddering from the images his brother had forced into his mind. He lay on the floor, gasping, as his vision blurred.  
At last, he mustered enough strength to ask, "Why…why did you…"_

_He could not finish, but Itachi understood._

"_To see what I was capable of," the man stated._

"_What you were capable of?" Sasuke repeated blankly, "That was it? You killed everyone for that reason?"_

_Itachi closed his eyes and answered remorselessly, "It is important."_

_Sasuke struggled to get to his feet, anger growing within him and replacing his terror. With a wordless scream, he surged to his feet, running toward his brother. Itachi met his charge with a fist. He let the boy crumple to the ground, where he lay gasping for breath. Sasuke raised his head to see the bodies of his parents, now lying so close to him. Tears welled up in his dark eyes before overflowing down his cheeks. His rage evaporated. Itachi stepped closer and Sasuke cringed backwards._

'I'm scared,'_ he thought._

_He pulled himself to a crouch, then turned and fled, an involuntary wail escaping from his lips. He flung open the doors, not looking back. Itachi stood still, watching him run with just a hint of disapproval in his eyes. Sasuke paused just long enough to slip into his shoes, then continued racing along the streets of the Uchiha compound toward Konoha, away from the carnage around him and his older brother, who had caused it. Tears still streamed down his face._

"_Don't kill me!" he screamed._

_There was the sound of footsteps in front of him and the boy slowed, gasping in breaths. Itachi stood in front of him._

"_Don't kill me," Sasuke whimpered._

"_You are not even worth killing," Itachi replied, "Foolish little brother. If you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me, and survive in an unsightly way. Run. Run and cling to life."_

_Sasuke's trembling had grown worse throughout Itachi's speech. He stared at his brother in wordless terror, barely comprehending what Itachi said. The man vanished, leaving him alive, though a far different child than he had once been._

**END FLASHBACK**

Sasuke brought himself back to the present with a shake of his head. His clan was at last avenged and the young man had done it his own way, rather than following the path Itachi had set for him. However, these facts brought no peace to the young Uchiha's mind, not like he had thought they would. He had set his heart on his next goal: rebuilding the Uchiha clan. It was for this reason that he was now returning to Konoha after being gone for eight years.

He was drawn from his thoughts as he recognized the area he was now passing through. He was near Konoha; this was the area Team 7 used to train in. Sasuke found himself expecting Naruto to jump out and challenge him to a fight in his overly-loud, obnoxious voice. The young man brought himself back to reality. His twelve years in Konoha seemed to be another lifetime. He was a different person now, and likely his former teammate was too…if he was still alive. Sasuke dismissed that thought with a smirk. Naruto was far too stubborn to let himself die.

His steps slowed when he encountered the boundary where forest met Konoha's wall. He assessed their defenses and quickly determined that he could slip in without notice, but that would not engender the trust necessary for him to find a wife. Also, he wanted the Uchiha clan to be reestablished in Konoha, not some other hidden village. This was the place generations of Uchiha had lived and died in; it was where they belonged. The only way he could accomplish that goal was to again become a shinobi of Konoha.

Sasuke followed the wall around to the main gate, stopping on a tree limb directly in view of the guards who manned the gate. They both started when they saw him and one immediately vanished, going to warn the Hokage, he assumed. The other guard pulled out a kunai and prepared to defend the gate should the Uchiha attack. The young man was mildly amused to see how the guard did not meet his gaze, instead focusing on his feet and hands to predict his movements. Had Sasuke wanted to, he could have trapped the man in an illusion with a single gesture, but again he reminded himself that he needed to regain Konoha's trust. The young man remained perfectly still until, a few minutes later, a group of ANBU surrounded him. Keeping his Sharingan deactivated, he slowly reached up and pulled out his katana. The masked black ops of Konoha stiffened, clearly ready to take him by force. Sasuke allowed himself the slightest of smirks. They would certainly be surprised by his next actions. He tossed the Japanese sword to the ground, and then added the pouches that held his other weapons to the small pile. He spread his hands and called out, "I wish to speak to the Hokage."

At a gesture from the leader, one ANBU member collected his weapons, while another two placed chakra-draining restraints around his wrists. Sasuke's eyes darkened, but he kept his emotions under firm control. Surrounded by ANBU, Sasuke Uchiha set foot inside Konoha for the first time in eight years.


	2. Chapter 1

Since the prologue was so popular, I decided to go ahead and post the first chapter. Don't get too used to this though, because I only have seven chapters written and I don't want to keep you guys waiting too long for updates.

Quick thanks to **heavenleehime**, **Evaluna86**, **uchiha black**, **kenshinlover2002**, and **unbeatablehinata** for reviewing. Also, thanks to everyone who favorited/alerted my story. Finally, thanks to those who just read it. Opening up my account and seeing over 200 hits made my day.

Another quick note before you all get bored with my comments. The main pairing in this story is SasuHina. However, there is some NejiTen, LeeSaku, ShikaInoCho, and possibly ShikaTem, as well as a little one-sided InoSasu. I apologize beforehand to those who like Ino. I personally have no problem with her, but someone has to be the bad guy, er, girl.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, nor would I want to. However, I am currently devising a plan to kidnap Neji and/or Itachi and/or Kakashi. Oh, and I do own Hinode. He is all mine.

* * *

Chapter One 

Sasuke was escorted into the Hokage's office by three ANBU, one of them the squad leader. He expected to see the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, behind the desk, but instead he saw a man clothed in the robe and hat of the Hokage. Piercing sapphire eyes met his gaze, before the man reached up and removed the hat to reveal spiky blonde hair. For a moment, Sasuke thought he was looking at the Fourth, for this man looked like an exact replica of him.

"Sasuke," the man said but one word, yet Sasuke instantly recognized him.

'_Naruto…so you became Hokage after all,' _he thought.

The Uchiha's expression did not change as he bowed and murmured, "Hokage-sama."

Gone was the loud and thoughtless Naruto he had known eight years ago. This Naruto studied him quietly, his face nearly as unreadable as Sasuke's own.

"Why have you returned?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke drew himself upright, onyx eyes meeting sapphire.

"Orochimaru and my brother are both dead. My role as Avenger is ended. I ask that you allow me to return to Konoha and revive the Uchiha clan," he said.

Naruto regarded him intently, as though judging the sincerity of his words. At last, he spoke, "You may spend the night at the Uchiha compound. I will give you my verdict tomorrow morning."

Sasuke left the room followed by two ANBU. The squad leader stayed in the room with the Hokage. As the door closed behind them, he heard Naruto's muffled voice start to ask the squad leader a question.

"What do you think, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.

Pale lavender eyes regarded him for a moment from behind a white mask that was styled to resemble a horse. She lifted the mask to reveal her face, knowing Naruto preferred to speak with her this way.

"I am inclined to take him at his word. Neji's squad has confirmed Orochimaru's death and I doubt he would have returned to Konoha unless Uchiha Itachi was also dead," she stated, voice cool.

Naruto nodded thoughtfully as he leaned back in his chair.

"I too want to believe him, Hinata-chan, but he has already betrayed the village once. The lives of my people would be too high a price to pay should Sasuke be lying to me," the blonde Hokage rose from his chair and walked to the window. Hands folded behind his back, he watched as Sasuke was escorted from the building. When he continued, his voice was choked with emotion, "He was my best friend, like a brother to me, but then he joined the enemy and tried to kill me when I went after him. I barely recognize him anymore, Hinata-chan. How can I trust this…this stranger?"

He turned to her, sapphire eyes pleading for her to confirm that he was making the right decision. He did this often, since he had matured enough to ask for advice. The young woman who had once been so shy that she could barely speak to him had proven herself time and time again as a wise councilor. She joined him at the window to look out over Konoha.

"He must prove himself again," she suggested, "Have someone keep an eye on him until then. Give him no time alone to carry out a plot against the safety of the village."

Naruto nodded, and then smiled. He turned and took the hands of the slender woman beside him.

"Would you do it, Hinata-chan? With your Byakugan, you are the perfect match against his Sharingan," he asked brightly, a hint of the old Naruto showing through.

Hinata's calm demeanor was broken for a moment.

"Wha-what about Neji?" she stammered.

"He just returned from his mission to the Sound village. I'd like to give him some time with his family before reassigning him," Naruto said.

The woman thought of Neji's wife, Tenten, and their infant son, Hinode. Her cousin did need to spend time with them. With a sigh, she acquiesced.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," she said.

"Thank you, Hinata-chan. I am sure that you will judge Sasuke fairly," Naruto said.

Hinata instantly understood Naruto's other worry, which he had not voiced. Neji had never liked Sasuke and, though he would not have meant it, her cousin would likely have let his bias color whatever judgment he made about the Uchiha. The Hokage was about to add something else when a knock sounded on the door. Hinata quickly pulled the mask down to cover her face. The Hokage's assistant entered, announcing that it was time for his next appointment. Naruto gave Hinata an apologetic glance and whispered, "See you tomorrow, Hinata-chan."

She nodded and vanished. Soon, Hinata reached the Hyuuga mansion. She removed her mask and shoes before stepping past the entryway.

"Neji-oniisan?" she called, "Hanabi-imoutosan? Tenten-chan?"

"In here," she heard her younger sister's voice call.

Hinata poked her head into the study to find Hanabi hard at work over a pile of scrolls. In training to become the next head of the Hyuuga clan, Hanabi was nearly always busy with work or training.

"Where are Neji-oniisan and his family?" she asked.

"Out in the training area," her younger sister said, glancing up at her in curiosity, "but why didn't you just use Byakugan to find them?"

Hinata simply shrugged and turned to leave the room. She didn't like using her bloodline limit unless she had to, but that was something Hanabi just would not understand. Her younger sister had grown to rely so much on the all-seeing eyes of the Hyuuga clan, while Hinata would rather go without it for normal situations.

"Oneesan," Hanabi sounded hesitant, which was unusual for the confident fifteen-year-old.

"What is it, Hanabi-imoutosan?" the woman asked.

"Is it true that the Uchiha, Sasuke, returned to Konoha?" she questioned.

Hinata nodded in reply before leaving to find her cousin. She shook her head, marveling at the speed with which the rumor mill was able to circulate in the ninja village. She heard Neji before she saw him.

"Tenten!" Neji's deep voice was laced with disapproval, "Put those shuriken down this instant."

As Hinata stepped into the training ground, no fewer than five shuriken whizzed past her nose. They all landed dead center in the target.

"Welcome back, Hina-chan!" Tenten greeted cheerfully, waving from across the field, her son Hinode beside her.

Closer to her was Neji, who was eyeing her with concern. He asked, "Are you all right, Hinata-sama?"

"Yes, Neji-oniisan," the young woman answered, shaking her head at the formal title her cousin used. Though they had been friends for years, she didn't think he would ever cease to be her bodyguard. She was distracted from her thoughts as a pair of chubby arms was thrown around her leg.

"Hinata-obasan!" the little boy exclaimed.

"Hinode-kun!" she replied with equal enthusiasm, picking him up and swinging him around.

He squealed with delight, long brown hair flying in the breeze their momentum created. When she began to slow, he opened his pale eyes and pleaded for more. Hinata quickly gave in, continuing their spin. Tenten stopped beside her husband, laying a hand on his shoulder for balance. At eight months pregnant with their second child, moving around was becoming harder and harder for her.

"She's so good with children. She needs some of her own," Tenten stated.

"Hn," Neji replied.

Tenten was used to her husband's various moods and knew that, in this case, his response meant that he agreed with her.

She continued, "Too bad she and Naruto decided to be nothing more than friends. Still, there are plenty of eligible men in Konoha. What about one of her old teammates: Kiba or Shino?"

"Hinata-sama is old enough to make her own decisions, Tenten. She does not need our help," Neji said.

In this case, Tenten understood that he really meant that no one was good enough for his cousin. It was no wonder that Hinata called him oniisan, or older brother. He certainly acted like one.

"Just a little push in the right direction," Tenten teased.

Neji frowned and said warningly, "Tenten…"

The couple fell silent as the subject of their conversation approached, a giggling Hinode still held in her arms.

"Neji-oniisan, I need to speak with you," Hinata said.

Tenten saw the serious expression on her face and took Hinode from her. Setting the boy down, she instructed him to go find Hanabi-obasan. After his little form had disappeared into the Hyuga mansion, the couple focused their attention on Hinata. The young woman had debated how best to tell her cousin about her next mission, and had decided that the straight-forward approach would be best.

"My team's last mission today involved picking up a missing-nin who wanted to turn himself in," she began.

"Who would be foolish enough to do that?" Tenten interrupted.

"Uchiha Sasuke. He claims that he wants to regain his position in Konoha and revive his clan," Hinata said.

Neji frowned slightly, knowing there was more to it than this. His cousin was not one to idly gossip about other people.

"What is the Hokage's position on this?" he asked.

"Naruto has decided to let him return on a trial basis, with someone watching him at all times," the young woman answered.

Her cousin instantly followed the thought to its logical conclusion. His slight frown became an open scowl.

"No, Hinata-sama. I will not allow this," he stated.

"That was the Hokage's order, Neji-oniisan. You have no choice in the matter," Hinata said firmly.

Tenten finally caught on and interrupted again, "You? You're the one watching him, Hina-chan?" The young woman nodded, causing Tenten to smile slyly. She said, "He was quite cute when he was younger. He must be very handsome now that he's grown up a little. What did you think of him, Hina-chan?"

To her everlasting shame, Hinata felt heat suffuse her pale face. Thankfully, Neji saved her from having to answer Tenten's embarrassing question.

"He is a traitor to the village," her cousin growled.

"Former traitor. Now he has returned to the village," his wife corrected cheerfully.

"He is still under suspicion," Hinata interrupted the brewing disagreement, "It is just another mission and, once it is done, I will continue on with my life. I just wanted to let you know, Neji-oniisan, so that you would not worry about me."

Neji hugged her slender form and whispered in her ear, "I will still worry about you, Hinata-sama."

She smiled up at him, touched by his gesture. Since becoming a father, Neji had become more open about showing affection, and she thought it suited him. Tenten embraced her as well, apologizing for her earlier teasing. Hinata smiled at them both, feeling very loved and accepted.

Sasuke stepped through gates marked with the faded symbol of the Uchiha clan. He hesitated, glancing around. The buildings had been cleaned up after Itachi's rampage, but had become run-down over the years. There were no bloodstains on the walls, or bodies in the streets as there had been the last time he was within these walls. Sasuke recalled the smoke of many fires going up into the sky as the bodies of the massacred Uchihas were burned by the other inhabitants of Konoha. The secrets of the Sharingan were too valuable for his loved ones to have had a proper burial. As he walked down the street, Sasuke wished in a way that there was some visible reminder of the Uchiha massacre. At least then his brain would not have to replay the images in vivid detail. He reached the building he had once called home, slowly opening the door. The silence again returned him to the night his world was shattered. He took off his shoes and stepped onto the wooden floor. Against his will, his steps were drawn to the room in which he had discovered his parents' bodies and…

"Itachi," he whispered.

He rested his hands on the doors, but did not open them. Now was not the time to be haunted by the past. His older brother was dead, his parents were avenged, and he was at last home. Sasuke returned to the room that had been his and spent the rest of the day cleaning it. Once night fell, he lay in his bed, trying to sleep. Throughout the day, he had sensed the two ANBU watching him. Even now, he could feel them nearby. Despite their presence, or perhaps because of it, Sasuke had never felt more alone.

'_Tomorrow,'_ he thought, '_All this will change tomorrow.'_

* * *

_For those of you who are curious, Hinode means 'sunrise.' Since all the Hyuugas seem to be named after sun or light, I figured it was appropriate. Please take the time to hit the blue button on the bottom left of your screen and leave a note of encouragement or critique or whatever. Reviews inspire me to write!_


	3. Chapter 2

Wow, thanks for all the hits and reviews! Skye 13, in response to your question, I'm not exactly sure how many chapters this is going to be. I originally thought it would be between ten and fifteen, but I'm writing chapter ten now and there's still a long way to go until we reach the end (and that's assuming none of the characters take over and make it even longer). Right now I'm going to tentatively say twenty chapters, but be aware that that number may change.

Before anyone asks, I'm going to put everyone's ages up here. Team Gai is 21, the Rookie Nine are 20, Team Konohamaru is 16, Hanabi is 15, and Hinode is 3. (For those of you who are interested, I'm saying that Neji and Tenten got married when they were 17.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own a Mist Village headband. The Mist Village is the best!

* * *

Chapter Two

It was midmorning by the time Sasuke was finally escorted into the Hokage's office. A young woman with long, midnight-blue hair and the trademark white eyes of the Hyuuga clan stood beside Naruto.

"Sasuke, you remember Hyuuga Hinata from the academy," Naruto stated.

The Uchiha nodded politely at her. He recalled her now—the shy, stuttering girl who had a crush on Naruto. He wondered what she was doing here.

"I have made my decision. I will allow you to remain in Konoha, with one condition," the Hokage began.

Sasuke was quiet, forcibly keeping himself from becoming too hopeful. He knew Naruto would not remain silent too long. The Hokage eyed him, studying his expression to gauge Sasuke's reaction as he made his next statement.

"Hinata-chan is to watch you during your time here. She will report everything you say and do directly to me. Is this acceptable?" Naruto asked.

The Uchiha glanced at the young woman. She met his gaze confidently, not cowering like the girl he remembered. He had become a good judge of power during his time away, and sensed that Hinata was a force to be reckoned with. Still, she would be a good inside source to find out what had happened during his absence. At length, he nodded his acceptance to Naruto's offer.

"Good. You are both dismissed," the Hokage said, turning back to his paperwork.

Sasuke and Hinata left the office. They headed aimlessly down the street, neither speaking a word. Sasuke looked over at Hinata and decided to start a conversation. After all, he needed information.

"What has happened to the rest of the Rookie Nine?" he asked, referring to the other ninjas who had graduated from the academy the same year he had.

"Choji and Ino are still chuunin. The rest of us are jounin, of course with the exception of Naruto. Sakura is the best medic-nin in all the countries, as well as inheriting the former Hokage's super-human strength. Shikamaru is Konoha's tactical genius and on the Hokage's council of advisors. Kiba is a special-class jounin, and both he and Shino are two of Konoha's best trackers," Hinata said.

The Uchiha mentally marked down Sakura as a possibility. The pink-haired girl had been almost as annoying as Naruto when they were younger, but perhaps she had matured as much as the blonde Hokage over the years. Hinata's stomach suddenly let out a small growl, distracting him from his thoughts. He looked down at her to see a slight pink tinge adding color to her pale cheeks. It amused him to see the composed jounin so embarrassed, but he took pity and gestured her into a nearby restaurant.

"I…I'm fine, Uchiha-san," she stammered slightly.

Sasuke ignored her protest, instead saying, "I am hungry as well. Come."

Her pale lavender eyes narrowed at his authoritative tone, but another rumble of her stomach convinced her to follow him. They sat at a table next to the window and ordered their food, falling again into silence. The waitress soon brought their orders. They both murmured the blessing over their food and were about to begin eating when a blonde whirlwind swept through the doorway. She sat down next to Hinata and began to talk excitedly.

"Hinata-san, you'll never guess what I just found out! Rock Lee and Forehead girl just got engaged! He proposed to her this morning," she said.

_'Yamanaka Ino,'_ Sasuke recognized her blonde hair and light blue eyes.

Along with Sakura, Ino had been one of the most obsessive members of his fan club and was one of Konoha's foremost gossips. This last fact had been one of the reasons Sasuke never considered her as a prospective wife. The other reason was that she struck him as the type of woman who would marry him for the novelty of it, then abandon him and any children they would have when she grew tired of him.

When the woman stopped to take a breath, her eyes landed on him. She took in his hair, dark as a raven's wing, and his jet eyes. Her own eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed in shock, "There was a rumor that you had returned, but…" She quickly regained her composure. Glancing between him and Hinata, her eyes narrowed, and then she smiled seductively at Sasuke. She asked, "Do you need someone to show you around, Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha was inwardly irritated by the familiar suffix she added onto his name. He had never given her permission to address him so informally.

"The Hokage has appointed me to watch him, Ino-san," Hinata stated.

The blonde leaned across the table to touch the young man's arm.

"Maybe he wants some feminine company, Hinata-san," she responded.

Hinata went utterly still. Sasuke pulled his arm out of Ino's reach, trying to decipher the Hyuuga's expression, but her pale eyes were unreadable.

"Thank you, but no. Hyuuga-san has been an excellent guide," he said firmly, "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a meal to eat."

Stunned by his rebuff, Ino stood and left the restaurant. As she walked away, Sasuke could not help but compare her to the woman sitting across from him. Ino wore a tight shirt and short skirt that hid almost nothing, while Hinata wore a jounin vest over a baggy shirt and pants. Ino's hair was shaped to stylishly frame her face, which was heavily covered in make-up. Hinata's hair was pulled into a ponytail and her face was devoid of any make-up. The Hyuuga heir was certainly not as girly as Ino, but the baggy clothes she wore only served to emphasize her slender frame. Sasuke didn't think anyone could accuse her of not being feminine. The door closed behind Ino and Sasuke picked up his chopsticks. He took his first bite, watching Hinata closely. Long, thick lashes shielded her lavender eyes from his scrutiny. After a brief moment, she began to eat. Sasuke was thankful that she had not started to cry. He never knew what to do around overly emotional women. Still, he felt the need to distract her from the blonde's cruel words.

"So, Rock Lee proposed to Sakura," he commented.

Hinata smiled faintly.

"Yes, Neji told me that Lee was planning on it. I am glad Sakura accepted. He will be good for her," she said.

Sasuke mentally pictured the bushy-browed, spandex-wearing ninja. He raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Lee has loved Sakura for years now. I know that he will cherish her and give her the love she deserves," Hinata said.

Sasuke returned to his meal, feeling slightly put out. Hinata had no idea that he had been considering asking Sakura to be his wife. She did not know that, by saying that Lee would give Sakura what she deserved, she was implying that Sasuke would not. Still, the pink-haired woman was out of his reach now. He was not so desperate as to attempt to steal Sakura from Rock Lee.

The meal was nearly over before Hinata broke the silence that had fallen between them.

"I will need to stop by my home to pick up a few things before we go to the Uchiha compound," she said.

Sasuke grunted a response. Luckily, Hinata was used to her cousin's sparse vocabulary and understood him to mean that he was fine with that. They finished the meal with no sound but that of wood clinking against their plates. When the waitress brought their checks, Sasuke picked up both of them and rose to pay.

"Uchiha-san, I can pay for my own meal," Hinata's protest caused him to pause briefly.

"Nevertheless, Hyuuga-san, I will pay for it," the young man stated.

Hinata felt a tide of red cascading onto her face. This was the second time in as many hours. She hadn't blushed this often in years. She met Sasuke's gaze and was furious to see his mouth twitch ever so slightly. The arrogant Uchiha was laughing at her! Just as she was narrowing her eyes to glare at him, the young man turned and left to pay the bill. Hinata took a moment to calm herself, feeling slightly ashamed for letting Sasuke to get to her so easily. She was an ANBU captain, an elite ninja. She did not allow her emotions to control her. When she rejoined the young man, her stoic Hyuuga façade was back in place. She led the way to the Hyuuga mansion. Sasuke hesitated slightly in the doorway.

_'I assumed that she would be living on her own by now. I did not reckon on having to deal with her family,'_ the Uchiha thought.

Hinata motioned him inside, either ignoring or not seeing his discomfort. They took off their shoes and the young man followed Hinata toward her bedroom. She wanted to finish this as quickly as possible, without running into—

"Hinata-sama," said Neji's deep voice, followed by a colder greeting to the young man beside her, "Uchiha."

"Neji-oniisan. Otousan," Hinata greeted her cousin and father calmly.

Sasuke said nothing, merely bowing to the Hyuuga males.

"What are you doing, Hinata?" Hiashi, her father, questioned.

"I am just collecting a few things for my next mission, Otousan. Now, if you'll excuse us, we must be going," the young woman stated.

Hiashi nodded his assent. He knew that his eldest daughter could take care of herself. Neji, however, was rather overprotective of his slender cousin.

"Uchiha, I would like to speak with you," he commanded.

Onyx eyes met silver in a contest of wills, but surprisingly it was Sasuke who looked away first. He could not afford to antagonize one of the most influential clans in Konoha.

"As you wish, Hyuuga-san,' he agreed.

After a warning glance at her cousin, Hinata left with her father. Sasuke was stuck alone with a scowling Neji.

"You will not harm Hinata," the Hyuuga genius stated imperiously.

"I have no intention of harming her, Hyuuga-san. I truly intend to become a Konoha ninja again," Sasuke replied, slightly irritated at having to explain himself to this man.

Neji's eyes bore into Sasuke's, as though the Byakugan-user was reading the Uchiha's mind. Sasuke did not break his gaze this time. A hint of the crimson Sharingan bled into his jet eyes, but he was stopped by a sudden thought. Was Neji in love with Hinata? It would certainly explain his possessiveness.

"Anata," a feminine voice called.

Neji surprised Sasuke by breaking his gaze and responding to the affectionate title.

"Here, Tenten," he said.

The brunette waddled into the hallway, stopping at the sight of Sasuke.

"Oh, did I interrupt something?" she asked.

The Hyuuga prodigy went to her, taking one hand in his and placing the other on her swollen belly.

"No, Tenten. Is everything all right?" he questioned gently.

Sasuke was quickly reevaluating his opinion. Neji was obviously **not** in love with Hinata. He must be simply concerned for her welfare.

"Hinode was asking for you," the woman said.

Neji nodded and, with a parting glare at Sasuke, headed back in the direction his wife had come from. Once they were alone, Tenten grinned at the Uchiha.

"You are quite a cutie, aren't you?" she questioned.

Sasuke's jaw nearly dropped.

"Pardon me?" he asked.

The weapons mistress could barely hide her amusement at seeing the emotionless Uchiha so flabbergasted by her statement.

"I will go find Hinata. You wait here," she said, turning and slowly waddling away.

Hinata looked up from packing as Tenten entered her room. Her heart dropped at the predatory grin on the pregnant woman's face.

"What is it, Tenten-chan?" she asked warily.

"I've seen your Uchiha. He is very handsome, though not quite as much as my Neji. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him so," Tenten said happily.

Hinata's lavender eyes widened as she tried to keep herself from blushing for the third time that day.

"You said that in front of Neji?" she exclaimed.

"No…though it would have made it more interesting if I had," the brunette stated, a thoughtful look coming into her chocolate brown eyes.

Hinata quickly stuffed the last items in her pack and pulled it onto her shoulders.

"Oh no, Tenten-chan, don't even think about it. Besides, Uchiha Sasuke is not my anything. Tell Neji and Hinode that I said goodbye," the young woman said, darting out the doorway.

Tenten smirked and murmured, "Methinks the lady doth protest too much…"

When Hinata met up with Sasuke, she could barely meet his gaze, so humiliated was she by what Tenten had told her. The Uchiha must think her family was crazy. They left the Hyuuga mansion and strolled down the streets in silence, headed toward the Uchiha compound. Hinata shivered as they passed through the gates marked with the red and white fan symbol of Sasuke's clan. It was so odd to pass from the bustle of Konoha into the sad quietness of this place. She glanced up at the young man walking beside her to find his face stoic, eyes fixed on the road ahead of them. She wondered what it felt like for him, having memories of this place when it was as alive as the town they had just left. He looked down to find her staring up at him, a compassionate expression in her pale eyes.

"I did not clean up a bedroom for you. You will have to do that once we reach the house," he stated tightly.

The last thing he wanted from this woman was her pity. He was an Uchiha, and his pride ran deep despite the many things he had suffered. Hinata quickly looked away; inwardly irritated that she had allowed herself to feel for him. It was her mission to watch this man and make sure that he was not a traitor. She could not let herself become soft.

"Do you have cleaning supplies?" she asked, her voice business-like.

Sasuke grunted an affirmative and the conversation ended.

* * *

Couple quick notes. In my opinion, the whole Neji liking Hinata thing is gross, but apparently its common in the Eastern culture, so I stuck in Sasuke considering the idea.

The second thing is that I've gotten about three hundred hits on each chapter. I'm figuring on making this a review-based story and posting a new chapter when I get twenty reviews for the previous one. Though, if I get twenty reviews too quickly, then I'll have to increase the number. Drop me a quick review and let me know if you like this idea, or if I should just update weekly.

Review! It inspires me to write more quickly!


	4. Chapter 3

So, the overwhelming opinion of those who reviewed was that I should update on a weekly schedule rather than by the number of reviews I get. So, I'll be attempting to post a new chapter every Monday. By the way, thanks to everyone who did review!! I'm going to respond to a few of them down at the bottom of the page, so as not to keep you waiting any longer for this chapter.

Disclaimer: Let me check my bank account...nope, I'm broke. Therefore I must not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter Three

"You will be staying in one of the guest rooms," Sasuke instructed, sliding back a bamboo door.

Hinata glanced in at a grimy room, the furniture covered in white drapes to keep off the dust.

"Where do you sleep?" she asked.

"In the room next to yours. Don't worry, Hyuuga-san, you will be able to keep a close eye on me," he answered, "The cleaning supplies are in that closet. I will be in the kitchen should you need anything."

Hinata waited for him to vanish into the kitchen before stepping to the room next to hers and activating the Byakugan. She scanned the room for any hidden weapons, finding nothing. She made note of one window that could be used for escape. She then turned away from Sasuke's room, not wanting to invade his privacy any further than she had to in order to do her job. Hinata was about to deactivate her Byakugan when the room across from Sasuke's caught her attention. There was what seemed to be a web of chakra lines throughout the walls and door and, what was more, she could not see into it. She stepped closer to the door, reaching out toward it, when a hand wrapped around her wrist. Sasuke had come up behind her so quietly that she had not noticed him until he was pulling her away from the door.

"That place is forbidden to you," he hissed.

She looked up into crimson Sharingan that glittered in anger.

"Whose room is that?" she asked.

Sasuke released her arm and turned away, his eyes returning to their natural shade of onyx.

"It was my brother's," he whispered in answer

He stared at the door for a moment, a haunted expression flickering across his pale features. It was gone when he turned back to her and repeated, "That room is forbidden to you. You will not enter it."

Hinata nodded her agreement, inwardly wondering why the Hokage at the time of the Uchiha massacre hadn't sent someone into Itachi's room. There was no telling what the clan murderer might have left in there. She would have to ask Naruto about that later, but for now she would respect the Uchiha's wish. Sasuke watched her gather the cleaning supplies she would need and go into the guestroom, only leaving once he was sure she would not disobey him.

Hinata spent the rest of the day eliminating more than eight years of grim. By the time she finished, the room was sparkling, but the young woman was tired and hungry. She was not looking forward to having to fix dinner for herself and the Uchiha.

Pushing back the strands of midnight blue hair that had escaped her ponytail, she stood, sore muscles protesting the movement. Hinata stretched carefully, inwardly admitting that it had been quite some time since she had done so much housework. Cleaning a room used sets of muscles that her ninja training did not and she longed for a hot, soothing bath.

"This is a mission," she quietly reminded herself, "I'm here to watch the Uchiha, not worry about my own comfort."

Speaking of Sasuke, she stretched out a tendril of chakra to check for his signature, as she had done periodically throughout the day. He was still right down the hall, in the kitchen she assumed from his earlier words to her. She gave the room one last glance, then gathered the cleaning supplies to put them away before making dinner. Hinata slid open the door and was greeted with the delicious aroma of food. She quickly replaced the cleaning supplies. Hinata walked into the kitchen to find Sasuke kneeling before the low table, writing in a book. Food simmered on the stove in the corner of the room. The young man passed in his writing, looking up as she entered the room.

"The food will be ready soon, Hyuuga-san. You have time to shower if you wish," he said.

Hinata stared at him. He had made dinner for them? For a brief moment, she was touched by this gesture, but quickly pushed the feeling away. It was her duty to remain unbiased. Naruto was counting on her.

"Thank you, Uchiha-san," she responded.

A slight nod of his head was her only acknowledgement that he had heard her words, having turned his attention back to whatever he was writing. Hinata returned to her room to gather clean clothes before going to the bathroom. She undressed and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water soothe the ache of her tired muscles. She closed her eyes and turned her head up into the pounding water.

'_Maybe this won't be so bad,'_ she hoped, '_Sasuke doesn't seem as cold as I've been told he is.'_

Sasuke laid down his brush when he heard the water in the shower turn on. He rose to check on the food and, finding it nearly done, cut down the heat to keep it warm. He then gazed blankly out the window as he thought.

Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura were both out as potential wives, so was Tenten. He could find out about the female ninjas who had graduated the year after he did, but he would rather choose someone with whom he was familiar. Any woman who was not a ninja was out of the question if he wanted a strong clan. So then, out of the Rookie Nine, that left only Hyuuga Hinata. Sasuke called to mind an image of the woman as he had last seen her—pale face slightly flushed from exertion and small wisps of hair floating around her face. He could picture her taking care of a child or two.

Now then, his only obstacle would be if she was already romantically involved with someone. If he recalled correctly, she had been the only girl in his class not to have a crush on him, instead liking Naruto. It had not appeared that she and the Hokage were anything more than friends earlier that day, but he would have to make sure. Stealing the Hokage's woman would not be the best way to insinuate himself back into the village's confidence. The young man did not even consider the fact that Hinata might not fall for him. He was used to having females swoon over him, and he was certain this one would be no different.

Sasuke was drawn from his planning when Hinata reentered the kitchen. He pushed himself away from the wall he had been leaning on, gathering the food and laying it out on the already set table. He sat down, closing his journal and laying it on the floor next to him. Hinata slowly eased down opposite him, her wide gaze taking in the food before her. There were bowls of rice for each of them, as well as bowls of miso soup. In the center of the table was a plate of yakizakana, or flame-grilled fish, with grated daikon.

"Itadakimasu," they both murmured before beginning to eat in silence.

Sasuke half-hoped that Hinata would be the one to start a conversation, but she seemed to be content with the quiet. The Uchiha's dark eyes narrowed with displeasure. He was unused to having to make the effort to start a conversation, since women were usually falling over themselves to get his attention. However, this was the second time today he had been the one to initiate a discussion with this woman.

"Do you like it?" he asked, nodding toward her food.

"Yes. It's very good," she answered.

Sasuke was inwardly pleased, though his expression did not change. What next came out of his mouth showed no sign that he had appreciated her compliment.

"You sound surprised. I had to learn to cook for myself many years ago," he stated somewhat coldly.

Hinata instantly understood that he was referring to the days following the Uchiha massacre. The scars from that night must still be very fresh to bother him so much, or perhaps returning to his home had reopened the wounds. The kind woman felt her heart soften toward the man sitting across from her.

"I am sorry," she whispered.

Sasuke looked up, ready to tell her where she could take her pity, but stopped when he saw the expression in her pale lavender eyes. It was not pity he saw in their clear depths. Instead he saw compassion, as though she wanted to take him in her arms and soothe away all the pain he felt. The Uchiha wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. The closest anyone had ever come to caring for him like that was Sakura, before he left the village eight years ago. Yet Sakura had been different than Hinata, because the pink-haired girl had been in love with the image Sasuke had cultivated of himself, not the true Sasuke. In Hinata's eyes, the young man felt that she saw him for who he really was, and longed to comfort him. He dropped his gaze from hers, anger evaporating. They returned to a slightly awkward silence. Long moments passed before Sasuke remembered what he needed to find out and resumed his questioning.

"So, do you have a husband waiting at home for you to finish this mission?" he asked as nonchalantly as he could.

Hinata was rather surprised at this turn in the conversation, if their short exchanges could be termed that, but responded anyway.

"No," she said.

'_One down,'_ Sasuke thought. He continued, "Any boyfriends?"

"I've been too busy for that kind of thing," Hinata stated, uneasy at this line of questioning.

Sasuke sensed this, but continued to press.

"What about you and Naruto. Did he ever realize that you liked him?" he asked.

Hinata's tension dissolved with a soft laugh as she said, "No, I had to finally tell him. We dated a few times, but decided that we wanted to remain friends. He was focused on becoming Hokage, and I had my own goals to complete. It would never have worked between us."

Sasuke tried to imagine the Hinata he had known, who had blushed scarlet and completely lost control of her voice box if Naruto so much as looked at her, telling the blonde that she liked him. It was again obvious that this young woman was very different from the girl he remembered. Hinata set aside her chopsticks and inclined her head toward him.

"Gochiso-sama deshita," she said, "Thank you, Uchiha-san. It was very good. I will be returning to my room now. Please remain in the house."

"Yes, Hyuuga-san," Sasuke replied.

She left the kitchen and the young man turned his attention to cleaning up from the meal, his mind busily coming up with a plan to make Hinata his.

_There were snakes everywhere…covering the floor, hanging from the low ceiling. There was no way to avoid them all, but he was not one to give up even when it seemed the odds were against him. This was something he had learned from the boy he considered his best friend. He turned, looking for the way out. He had to be close to the exit by now._

_There! _

_A gleam of daylight cut faintly through the dimness of the underground lair. He took a deep breath, forming hand seals as rapidly as his fingers could move._

"_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" he cried._

_A ball of flame shot from his mouth, reducing the snakes in his path to no more than piles of ash. He ran toward the opening, dodging the attacks of those snakes that had been out of the reach of his fire._

_Without warning, he felt fangs sinking into his neck. He could almost sense the poison rushing through his system. Sluggishly, he turned toward his attacker, falling to his knees as he did so. Orochimaru stood there, withdrawing the snake he had sent from his arm. A disgusted look was in his yellow-green eyes._

"_I expected more from a prodigy. Then again, I did not expect you to be so stupid as to try to escape from me," the sannin stated._

_He fell forward onto his hands, dragging in breaths. Was Orochimaru going to stand there and watch him die? Through darkening vision, he saw the man's feet move directly in front of him._

"_Sasuke, do you truly believe that Konoha would welcome you back with open arms? Do you really think you'll learn what you need to know in order to defeat your brother there?" the man continued._

_With each word, the twelve-year-old felt reality settle in. Orochimaru was correct. He had made his decision a month ago when he left Konoha without a second glance. He had chosen this living hell over his friends and village. He had chosen this path to gain the strength to destroy Itachi. His arms gave out and he collapsed onto the cold stone floor._

_As darkness claimed him, he murmured what he was sure would be his final words, the words he was about to speak at the Valley of the End after he had defeated his closest friend, "Naruto…I'm…sorry…"_

Sasuke sat up in bed, sweat running down his face. The sheets that had wrapped around him in his uneasy sleep suddenly seemed like the snakes Orochimaru had tormented him with, and the walls of the room were closing in on him. He scrambled out of bed, dragging the sheets with him. He untangled them as quickly as he could as he stumbled over to the window. Sasuke had to get outside _now_. He threw open the window and, even in his terror, gracefully slipped outside. Once in the cool air, he closed his eyes, exhaling the panic that had seemed so overwhelming in the confining room.

"Orochimaru is dead," he whispered.

He knew that, yet it seemed that the scars the sannin had left him with would never fade.

Hinata's eyes flew open, an instinct born from many battles dragging her into wakefulness. She activated her Byakugan and scanned the room next to hers. Sasuke was stumbling toward the window and climbing out of it. Heart sinking, she rose and pulled a kunai from the pouch she had left lying beside her bed. Hardened ANBU captain she may be, but she hated having to subdue prisoners. Even worse would be telling Naruto that all his fears about Sasuke were true. She knew how much the Hokage had hoped that his best friend was telling the truth when he returned to Konoha. Naruto would be devastated by this second betrayal from the man who was like a brother to him.

Hinata suddenly halted. Her quarry had stopped just outside the house, collapsing to the ground. She scanned the area to see if he had been attacked, but found no one other than Sasuke. She looked back at him to see that he had adopted a reclining position, as though he were looking up at the stars. Hinata settled herself into the corner of the room closest to her own window, so that she could easily get out if Sasuke made a move to escape. She kept her Byakugan activated to watch for any signs of movement.

It was just before dawn by the time Sasuke returned to his room and Hinata allowed herself to drift back into sleep.

* * *

**Evaluna86**: Thanks, I didn't remember that. I'm trying my best to keep Sasuke in character, so thanks for pointing that out. However, please keep in mind that it has been eight years (since the start of Naruto) and it is possible that Sasuke has learned to be a bit more polite. At least that's what I hope.

**Mac2**: Like I said in...the first chapter, I think, I have no problem with Ino. Last chapter she was, rather thoughtless, but hopefully later in the story you'll e able to see why she went after Sasuke like that.

**Ayesha Raees a.k.a. Mrs. Uchiha**: When you go to the stats page, it shows you how many total hits a story has received. when you click on it, it breaks the hits down by chapter.

**Disneyrulz23**: Miru Hoshi means (or at least is supposed to mean) 'star-gazing.' You'll see why I named it that later in the story.

That's it for now. Thanks to everyone else who reviewed and, if you like what you're reading, please take the time to review for this chapter too! It only takes a minute and it makes the author's day!


	5. Chapter 4

I present to you the next chapter of Miru Hoshi. No SasuHina in this one, for plot development reasons. Instead, you get some LeeSaku love and some more character development for Ino. Personally, I am rather fond of this chapter. I'll respond to some of the reviews down at the end of the chapter.

Disclaimer: I just got a $300 check from work-study today. If I owned Naruto, I would not be as thrilled as I am. So, no, nothing but the plot and Hinode belongs to me.

* * *

Chapter Four

Earlier that day, Sakura Haruno hummed her way through work at the Konoha hospital. Even the massive loads of paperwork that Tsunade, former Hokage of Konoha and current head of the hospital, inevitably passed off to the pink-haired medic failed to dim her cheerful spirit. She paused in her work to glance down at her left hand…and the diamond which sparkled on her ring finger. A soft smile crossed her face as she recalled Lee's "youthful" proposal to her that morning. After a moment, she returned her attention to the papers strewn across her desk. Who knew there was this much paperwork involved in running the hospital? Sakura almost missed her days as a low-rank medic when she was passed from duty to duty as they needed her.

A warm hand on her shoulder first caused her to tense, not knowing who had snuck up on her, but she relaxed when the intruder spoke, "I was wondering if you would do me the honor of joining me for lunch, Sakura-chan."

The deep voice was hesitant, unusual for the dynamic jounin. He must be unsure how to treat their relationship now that she was his fiancée. She grinned slightly as she pushed back the paperwork and stood. Sakura would just have to reassure him that nothing had changed.

"I would love to have lunch with you, Lee-kun!" the medic stated.

She had to tilt her head back to look into the man's eyes since he was now even taller than his beloved Gai-sensei. Lee flashed her a brilliant smile and a thumbs-up, his confidence restored. Sakura giggled at the relief in his expression.

"Let me guess, you were going to do five hundred laps around Konoha if I said no," she teased.

Lee's face fell as he responded, "One-thousand, Sakura-chan, on only my fingertips. And if my blazing youthful spirit could not accomplish that for my beautiful blossom then I had to do-"

Sakura's hand on his lips effectively stopped the lengthy litany. He reached up and took her delicate hand in his own bandaged one, his fingers playing with her engagement ring. The medic smiled at this gentle man who had thoroughly won her heart. Oh, there were certainly times his extravagant behavior had embarrassed her, but it was just a part of who he was. There were also times like now, with his hand wrapped securely around hers as he led her from the hospital, times when he treated her like the most precious thing in the world. Sakura still recalled the first time he had pledged his undying devotion to her in the Forest of Death the first time they had taken the Chuunin exams. Back then she had still fancied herself in love with Uchiha Sasuke, a man who had done nothing but hurt her all the years she had known him. She had been so foolish to ignore Lee's genuine love simply because of his questionable taste in fashion. Sasuke might have been the more handsome of the two, but his frozen heart was fixated solely on revenge.

"Sakura-chan, are you ill?" Lee's concerned voice brought her from her thoughts.

She realized that they had stopped in the middle of the street and Lee's free hand was laid against her cheek.

"I'm fine, Lee-kun. I was just busy thinking," Sakura assured him.

"Good! I was worried that my cherry blossom was losing her spark of youthfulness," the taijutsu master exclaimed.

This loud proclamation drew the stares of visitors to Konoha. The residents, long-used to the exuberant antics of both Lee and his teacher Maito Gai, did not even pause in what they were doing.

"Lee-kun," Sakura sighed.

He looked somewhat embarrassed as he said, "Sorry, Sakura-chan. My youthful enthusiasm carried me away in my concern for you. Gai-sensei will be very displeased to learn that I did not control the power of my youth."

"Let's just get lunch," the medic began.

"Forehead!" the screech cut through the crowd.

Sakura caught a glimpse of light blonde hair moving toward them and smiled at her long-time best friend.

"Ino-pig!" she called back in greeting.

Behind her, Lee frowned. Sakura knew that he thought that it was very unyouthful of Ino to spread gossip the way she did. The blonde pushed her way through the crowd, blue eyes alight with excitement. She grasped Sakura's slender shoulders to make sure she had the medic's full attention. Once Sakura's emerald eyes were fixed on her, Ino all but screamed, "Sasuke is back!"

Sakura froze, her cheerful expression fading into shock. Everything she had just been thinking about Lee and Sasuke was forgotten in the knowledge that the Uchiha had returned.

"Sa-su-ke-kun," she whispered.

**FLASHBACK**

_The moon shone down on the path that led out of Konoha, illuminating the two figures that stood there. Sakura was pouring out her heart to the back of the boy she loved, trying her best to convince him to stay. Yet nothing she said had helped. He remained intent upon leaving them._

"_From this point on, new paths will start," he told her, his tone betraying nothing of what he felt._

_Sakura gazed at him, tears streaming down her cheeks._

"_I…I love you more than anything! If you are by my side, I will make sure that you will not regret it. I will make every day more enjoyable, and you will be happy! I would do anything for you! That's why…I beg you! Please stay here! I will even help you with your revenge. There must be something I can do! That's why…please, stay here with me…" she paused, sobbing, as Sasuke still stood there, apparently unmoved by her pleading. She continued, "If not, then please take me with you…"_

_She trailed off, having no more to say. Tears cascaded down her face as she cried quietly. After a long moment, Sasuke turned to face her, a cruel smirk on his face._

"_After all this, you're still annoying," he stated harshly._

_Sakura stared at him, feeling as though her heart had been ripped from her chest and shattered into a million pieces. Sasuke watched her a moment then turned to leave._

"_Don't go!" Sakura screamed. She ran after him, "If you go, I will scream out loud and…"_

_In a heartbeat, Sasuke was behind her. She gasped. They stood like that for what seemed a lifetime before he spoke in that same emotionless tone._

"_Sakura, thank you," he said._

_Her emerald eyes widened in shock and hope. Did that mean she had convinced him to stay? Suddenly, she felt his hand hit her pressure point and the world faded to darkness._

'Sasuke-kun,' _was her last waking thought._

_He had abandoned her. _

**END FLASHBACK**

Heart sinking, Lee watched the back of the woman he loved. When they first started dating, Sakura had assured him that she was over Sasuke. It seemed she had lied to both of them. His broad shoulders slumped and he slowly withdrew his hand from hers.

"I will leave you and Ino-san to talk, Sakura-chan," he said, turning to leave.

The pink-haired woman had turned to him when she felt the warmth of his hand leave hers. Her emerald eyes widened when she heard his words. She looked down at the engagement ring glittering on her finger and her expression firmed.

"Don't go!" she cried.

He stopped, but did not turn to face her. It seemed to Sakura that she was reliving the night Sasuke had left. If the man she loved left this time, however, she believed that her heart would never recover. She placed a hand on his muscular shoulder and, directing a bit of chakra into it, used her superhuman strength to turn him to face her. Her heart broke at the look of pain in his dark eyes. This man was not the emotionless Uchiha. He was Rock Lee, at times overly emotional and eccentric, but also loyal to the core and hopelessly in love with her, Haruno Sakura. She trailed her hand down his arm to entwine her fingers with his, fighting back tears.

"Lee-kun, you are the man I promised to marry," she whispered.

"I just want you to be happy, Sakura-chan. If Sasuke-san is the man who makes your heart smile then I will gladly-" Lee began softly.

"No, Lee-kun. I love **you**. All Sasuke has ever given me is rejection and pain," Sakura stated.

She walked back to Ino, who was watching their exchange intently.

"Thank you for letting me know, Ino-pig. However, my fiancé and I are on our way to lunch. See you later!" she said cheerfully.

Sakura dragged the bushy-browed jounin after her. Once they were out of Ino's sight, she paused and looked up at him.

"Would you like to eat at that new curry restaurant?" she asked.

Lee inspected her face carefully and, finding only joy in her expression, burst into his own blinding grin. He shot her a thumbs-up as he said, "Yosh! I shall eat ten bowls of curry. If I cannot then I shall-"

Sakura laughed, "Let's just go eat."

Ino watched the two blend into the crowd, her excited expression changing into a sad smile.

"Good for you, Sakura-chan. You've found someone who truly cherishes you," she said, starting to walk away, "Now if only I can do the same."

She pictured the two men she had dated off and on the past couple of years: Nara Shikamaru, the lazy tactical genius who constantly referred to her as a troublesome woman, and Akimichi Choji, who seemed to prefer his food to her on the few dates they had been on. Neither of them had shown her an ounce of the devotion Lee showed Sakura. If they wouldn't give her what she wanted, then she would just have to look elsewhere, and the handsome Uchiha wouldn't be a bad place to start.

* * *

**Jjayno1:** It is Sasuke, after all. He isn't the most socially polite ninja in the world. He had a goal and he chose the shortest path to reach his goal. It made Hinata a little uncomfortable, but she'll get over it.

**Akai-sora:** I know, it is pretty frustrating when you see hits but only a few reviews. But I thank you for taking the time to review my story!

**Mac2:** That would be telling, wouldn't it? Well, I guess I'll tell...as far as I know, there will be no Kabuto in this story. I have other ideas for the villain.

**Ayesha Raees aka Mrs. Uchiha:** Um, I'm not sure if you can see the stats page. It might be something only the writer can see. Anyone know?

**Mrs Fuss-budget:** There, are you a little more happy with me? Ino isn't evil and heartless, just wanting some love of her own. She overreacted a little though.

That's it for now! Next chapter we'll be getting back to Hinata and Sasuke, but I felt this chapter was needed. As always, review and let me know what you thought!!


	6. Chapter 5

In this chapter, focus goes back to Sasuke and Hinata. We have a slight moment between the two, as well as the cuteness which is Hinode. As usual, I'll respond to the reviews from last chapter at the bottom of the page.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters. BUT I do own this story idea and Hinode (who is much cooler than Naruto).

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Chapter Five

It was midmorning when Sasuke woke up, having drifted into slumber only when the sun began to rise. With darkness came memories of his time with Orochimaru and the part of him that he was trying desperately to forget. Only during daylight could he rest without being haunted by nightmares.

Sasuke rose and dressed himself in the white shirt and black pants he had worn while serving the snake sannin. He decided that he would need to go shopping today. He had been too focused on finding and killing Itachi to buy new clothes before this, but now that he was back in Konoha it was definitely time for a change. He slid open the door, inhaling the scent of food. It seemed Hinata had fixed breakfast for them. Sasuke entered the kitchen and simply stood inside the doorway for a moment, watching Hinata move around as she finished preparing the food. He tried to imagine what it would be like to wake up to this every morning. He breathed in the heavenly aroma and smirked. If the food was half as good as it smelled, it would not be such a bad thing to spend the rest of his life with this woman.

Hinata glanced over her shoulder to see him staring at her with his intense dark eyes and her gaze quickly dropped back to her cooking.

"How did you sleep last night, Uchiha-san?" she asked.

Sasuke took a few steps toward her as he replied, "Well enough. And you?"

"About as well as you did," she said, her tone leaving no doubt that she knew exactly how well he had slept last night.

"I am sorry," came Sasuke's soft reply, from far closer than she had thought him to be.

She turned with a gasp, lavender eyes widening when her back hit the kitchen wall. The Uchiha was far too close to her. Her hand fell to her weapons pouch out of instinct.

"Th-there's nothing to apologize for, Uchiha-san. I am simply doing what the Hokage ordered me to do," she stammered slightly.

Sasuke almost smirked in amusement at how she was reacting to his proximity. He took a few steps closer, watching her face turn a light pink.

"Nevertheless, Hyuuga-san, I am sorry," he whispered.

He watched her blush for a long moment before taking pity and backing away from her. He could see now that he would have to take things very slowly with Hyuuga Hinata. He sat down at the table, looking up expectantly.

"Is breakfast ready?" he asked.

She stared blankly at him for a second before flushing a darker shade of red and turning to the stove. She set out the food and sat across from him.

"I will need to buy myself some clothes today," Sasuke stated part way through the meal, "I would also like to practice this morning."

Hinata met his gaze without flinching, having recovered her composure.

"Very well, as long as you do not use your Sharingan," she agreed.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Hyuuga-san," he said.

She raised an eyebrow, trying to determine whether or not he was mocking her. It was impossible to tell.

A short while later, Sasuke and Hinata entered an empty training area. She began her training with stretches, while he launched into a kata to warm up his muscles. He watched as, once she had ended her warm-ups, she drew a scroll from the pocket of her jounin vest. She unfurled it and summoned a ninjaken into her hands. This perked Sasuke's interest, since the short swords were usually only used by ANBU forces. Replacing the scroll, she closed her eyes. With that, she moved into a kata that reminded Sasuke of flowing water, one stance shifting into the next. As he studied her, he longed for the katana that he had given over to the ANBU team. He would have enjoyed seeing how good the Hyuuga female really was with a blade. They trained in silence until the sun was high in the sky and both were covered in sweat.

"You can shower at the compound before we go shopping if you wish," Sasuke offered.

Hinata eyed his white shirt, which was darkened by sweat.

"What about you, Uchiha-san?" she asked.

"These are the only clothes I have, hence why I need to go shopping today," he stated.

She studied him for a moment, long enough for the young man to shift uncomfortably.

"You look like you're about Neji's size. We will stop by my home and get a set of his clothes for you," Hinata said.

Sasuke looked like he was about to protest, however, the young woman turned and strode away. His dark eyes narrowed in frustration, but he was forced to admit to himself that he was in need of a shower and clean clothes. He stalked after her to the Hyuuga mansion. They were allowed through the gates by the two branch family members who stood guard and Hinata motioned for Sasuke to wait in the central courtyard. It was too hot for anyone to come outside to train, and she did not want a repeat of yesterday's visit. Once Sasuke had settled himself in the shade, she left in search of Tenten.

Hinata found the weapon's mistress in her bedroom, sharpening her kunai. At the Hyuuga's questioning expression, Tenten smiled.

"Neji won't let me come within ten feet of a sharp object right now. Hiding in here is the only way to make sure he doesn't find me," she explained.

"What about his Byakugan?" Hinata asked.

"Hina-chan, leave me to my delusions," Tenten pouted, "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"I need to borrow a set of Neji's clothes, Tenten-chan," the Hyuuga woman said.

"Why?" Tenten questioned, hiding the kunai in her dresser and waddling toward the door.

"The Uchiha and I were training this morning and he has not yet had the opportunity to buy new clothes. Now, please hurry, Tenten-chan. I don't want Neji to find him here again," Hinata urged.

The weapon's mistress refused to go any faster than her current sauntering pace.

"So, do you like the Uchiha?" she asked.

Hinata sighed, "It is my duty to remain unbiased."

"Meaning you do like him, but you aren't willing to acknowledge your feelings. Come on, Hina-chan. He's drop-dead handsome, polite, mysterious…" the brunette said, only half-teasing.

"No, Tenten-chan. Meaning that he is a known traitor and the Hokage has trusted me to watch after him until he proves his loyalty to Konoha," Hinata corrected with the infamous Hyuuga impassivity.

Tenten laughed, not at all put off by her cousin-in-law's façade.

"Now you're sounding like Neji," she said.

"Good, you know how much I admire him," Hinata returned.

Tenten rolled her eyes, but stopped pestering her friend. She knew that she would get nowhere with Hinata by pushing her.

Meanwhile, Sasuke leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, exhaustion from many nights of sleeplessness swamping him. He was nearly asleep when the sound of light footfalls alerted him to the fact that he was no longer alone. He opened his eyes to find a little boy, no more than three years old, standing in front of him. The boy's silvery eyes clearly proclaimed him a Hyuuga, while his brown hair and elfin features reminded Sasuke of Tenten. The young man assumed that this was Neji's eldest son. After watching him for a moment, the little boy pointed a finger toward himself.

"Hinode-kun," he stated, then pointed his finger at Sasuke and waited expectantly.

The Uchiha blinked in confusion, so Hinode repeated the gesture, pointing to himself and saying his name before pointing at Sasuke and waiting. The light bulb clicked on behind the young man's dark eyes.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he said, pointing at himself.

The little boy studied him intently. He then grinned as brilliantly as the sunrise he was named after and exclaimed, "Sasuke-ojisan!"

The Uchiha's eyes widened. He would have protested the boy calling him 'uncle,' but

Hinode was already climbing into his lap. The child curled up in his lap and laid his head against Sasuke's chest, instantly falling asleep. After a tense moment in which he was unsure how to react, the Uchiha smiled. He gently rested his chin against Hinode's soft hair. Sasuke instinctively curled a protective arm around the boy, drifting off to sleep himself.

"I would love to have a picture of this," Tenten whispered, "It would make wonderful blackmail."

"Don't even think about it," Hinata warned her mischievous cousin.

Her lavender eyes scanned across the scene before her, memorizing every detail. Sasuke leaned against the wall with Hinode in his lap, both sound asleep. One scarred arm was wrapped around the boy and a small but happy smile was on his lips. Studying his serene features, Hinata admitted to herself that Sasuke was quite possibly one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. His eyes suddenly flew open, crimson Sharingan whirling in preparation to attack. At her startled gasp, he blinked and looked from her, to Tenten, and finally down to the little boy still asleep in his lap. Sasuke's eyes faded back to their normal shade of onyx. He stood carefully, handing Hinode over to Tenten.

"I am sorry, Hyuuga-san. I…didn't realize where I was," he said, not looking up at the weapon's mistress.

Tenten's gaze softened as she looked down at her son. Hinode, even at three years old, was already showing signs of being a genius like his father. His fledgling abilities included a sense of impending danger that almost bordered on precognitive. If Uchiha Sasuke was a threat, Hinode would not still be peacefully asleep.

"It's fine, Uchiha-san. As shinobi, we all have moments like that," she said, smiling at him.

"Neji is coming. Thank you, Tenten-chan," Hinata said, motioning for Sasuke to follow her out of the courtyard.

The weapon's mistress turned to see her husband stepping through one of the doorways, his silver eyes looking toward the gate. Hinode stirred, sensing his father's presence. He stretched his hands toward the tall Hyuuga male.

"Otousan," he called.

Neji looked back at his wife and child and his face softened. He walked over to Tenten, taking his son from her arms. The little boy smiled contentedly; he quickly fell back to sleep. Neji shifted him into a more comfortable position, keeping his gaze on Tenten.

"So, what was Hinata doing home?" he asked.

"She needed to get a few things," the brunette replied vaguely.

"Was the Uchiha with her?" Neji said, his features tightening.

"Of course Sasuke was with her. She's supposed to be watching him all the time," Tenten said.

Hinode opened one pale eye and murmured sleepily, "I like Sasuke-ojisan."

Both parents stared down at the boy in shock, but he ignored both of them and promptly fell asleep. Neji glanced up at his wife.

"Ojisan?" he repeated.

Sasuke and Hinata returned to the Uchiha compound and showered. Both dressed in clean clothes, they set out for the clothing stores. The Uchiha attracted quite a bit of attention. After all, he was a handsome man, which caught the notice of the female population of Konoha, and a former missing-nin, which interested the ninja population. Add to this the fact that he was an Uchiha wearing the colors of the Hyuuga clan and nearly the entire town stared at him as he passed by. When they reached the store, Hinata informed Sasuke that she would remain outside. He studied her for a moment before nodding.

"I will not be long, Hyuuga-san," he said.

With that, he vanished into the store. Hinata entered the small café opposite it, sat down, and ordered two cups of tea. In a matter of minutes, she was joined by none other than the blonde Hokage himself. He sipped his cup as he watched her in much the same manner as his former best friend had studied her only moments before.

"How is he?" Naruto asked softly.

The young woman glanced across the street, Byakugan activated to check on her charge.

"He's doing well, Naruto-kun. He's been cooperative for the most part. However, he spent most of the night outside. I believe he has nightmares," Hinata said.

Naruto sighed, his azure eyes watching as his finger traced a circle around the rim of his teacup.

"He's had a hard life, Hinata-chan. Training under the snake sannin for so many years, not to mention all he's endured at Itachi's hands," the blonde's calloused hand dropped to grip the cup tightly as he added, "Of course that was the path he chose for himself."

Hinata watched compassionately as Naruto struggled to rein in his emotions. When he at last mastered them, he drained his cup and began to stand.

_'Itachi,' _Hinata remembered.

"Naruto-kun, wait. There's something I wanted to ask you," she said.

The Hokage focused his attention on her as he asked, "What is it, Hinata-chan?"

"Do you know why Uchiha Itachi's room wasn't searched after the massacre?" the young woman asked.

"No, I don't. How do you know that it was not?" Naruto responded.

"There's a chakra barrier around it that I can't see through. I assumed that it was the Uchiha traitor who created it," Hinata explained.

Naruto nodded thoughtfully, brow furrowing at the thought that such an important thing could have been overlooked.

"I'll find out, Hinata-chan. Thank you for keeping an eye on Sasuke," he paused as the old sparkle returned to his eyes, "Next time we'll have to allow time to get some ramen."

They both shared a laugh at the mention of Naruto's favorite food, then the Hokage rose and left the café. Hinata nursed her cup of tea until she saw Sasuke exiting the store. She paid for the tea and joined him, glancing curiously at the single bag he carried.

"The rest will be delivered tomorrow," he said, following her gaze.

She nodded in understanding and followed him back to the Uchiha compound.

* * *

Hmm, no one really asked any questions that need answering...

Well, I do need suggestions. Obviously, since this is a SasuHina, Ino will not end up with Sasuke. Does anyone have suggestions about who she should end up with? I haven't decided this yet, so any help would be welcome! As always, reviews are most welcome! I love constructive criticism and encouragement. Thanks for reading!!


	7. Chapter 6

I'm going to be really busy this week, so I decided to update a day early. Also, due to said busyness, I may have to wait longer between updates. I haven't written a new chapter in a couple of weeks and my buffer of chapters is quickly diminishing. However, I am going to try my best to update once a week.

Anyway, on to a more cheerful note. We have our first official SasuHina moment in this chapter, as well as the first fight scene. Please let me know how I did on it, since I'm not too good at writing fight scenes.

Thanks go out to **hinataa **for reviewing my last chapter twice. Thank you to everyone else who reviewed as well. MIRU HOSHI HAS GOTTEN 80 REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Many, many thanks. You guys are really inspiring me to finish this story.

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Chapter Six 

Hinata leaned against the kitchen wall, watching the sky blush red in anticipation of the dawn. She brought a cup of tea to her lips and blew on it in an attempt to cool the steaming liquid. The night had passed like the one before, with her awakening to find Sasuke climbing through his window. This time, however, he had fallen asleep outside. Hinata suspected this was out of pure exhaustion, and her compassionate side wondered how long it had been since he was able to sleep through the night. The young woman had needed to remind herself of Naruto's words several times over the course of the night.

'_Of course that was the path he chose for himself.'_

Still, he had been a twelve-year old boy haunted by memories of his brother cruelly slaughtering his entire clan. He had made a mistake, but it seemed to Hinata that he was paying for it even now. If he truly was returning to Konoha for good, she thought that Sasuke had suffered enough.

"Did I keep you from sleeping again last night?" Sasuke's soft voice asked from the doorway.

Hinata turned to see him in the clothes he purchased yesterday: a black, high-collared shirt and black pants much like what he wore just before leaving Konoha. Looking at him, Hinata wondered if he was trying to forget he had ever left.

"Its fine, Uchiha-san," she returned in the same soft tone.

He joined her at the window to watch the sunrise, neither of them wanting to break the peaceful quiet that ruled over the house. It was only after the sun had fully risen that Hinata turned to Sasuke.

"Are you ready to go train?" she asked.

Onyx eyes stared at her in astonishment.

"If you wish to, Hyuuga-san. However, if you wish to rest-" he began.

"I am ready to train, Uchiha-san. I have a surprise for you," she said, smiling slightly.

He really was cute when he was completely clueless. She quickly curbed that thought, and simply waited for his response. He slowly returned her smile and bowed.

"After you, Hyuuga-san," he said.

She led the way to the training grounds, then pulled two scrolls from her vest. When he raised an eyebrow, she said, "I got this one from Tenten yesterday."

She made several hands signs and summoned two swords, her ninjaken and a longer katana. When she handed the katana to Sasuke, his eyes widened.

"I want to see how good you are. No ninjutsu or genjutsu," she stated.

"How did you know I used a katana?" he asked.

"Ah, N-Naruto told me that you did," she said, stammering slightly.

No ANBU member was allowed to reveal their identity to anyone. It was the reason they all wore masks. She just hoped Sasuke didn't catch her slight hesitation. It appeared that he did not as he eased into a defensive stance, one hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. Hinata moved into her own stance. Both stilled, waiting for the other to make the first move. A breeze blew through the field, ruffling their hair and clothes. As it died, Hinata leapt into action. Sasuke blocked her blow, then offered one of his own. For half an hour, they sparred lightly, testing each other's defenses and seeing what techniques they used. To anyone watching, they were simply a constant blur of motion. At one point, their blades locked and lavender met obsidian.

"Not bad," Sasuke stated.

The Hyuuga smiled and answered, "This is just a warm-up."

She leaped back, then moved into offense. Her attacks were so swift that Sasuke had trouble following them without his Sharingan. After an hour of this, Sasuke tired and, seeing his opportunity, grabbed her as she came near and pulled her into him so she couldn't use her blade as easily. Her back slammed into his chest and, as she turned her head to look over her shoulder at him, their panting breaths mingled. Strands of her hair lashed his face as they were caught in the wind. He stared into her face, which was so close to his own. She spun away from him, bringing her ninjaken back in a blow he should have easily avoided. Instead, distracted by the smell of her which still lingered in the air, he felt the blade burn a path across his arm. Her lavender eyes widened when she saw the blood on her sword.

"Uchiha-san, are you all right?" she asked.

"I will be fine," he said, ruining the statement with a wince.

She sheathed her sword and took his arm in her hand, gently probing at the wound. His eyes closed for a moment at feeling her touch him and he admitted to himself that he was falling for this woman.

"We're going to the hospital," she said, no room for argument in her tone.

Both their swords vanished as she pulled him from the training grounds.

.o0o.o0o.o0.o0o.

Sakura Haruno sighed, surveying the list for the next patient. One of their nurses had called in sick, so the pink-haired woman was forced to fill in for her, doing routine check-ups that she hadn't done in years.

"Room 102," she murmured, glancing at the number on the door.

She did not remove her gaze from the chart as she entered the room.

"I see you were cut during training. Where are you injured?" she asked, her tone business-like.

"My arm," the voice that responded caused her heart to stop.

She slowly looked up and whispered, "Sasuke."

"Sakura," he responded.

She tore her gaze from him to make a few notes on the chart, walking over to him.

"Let me see the wound," she said.

He held out his arm and she concentrated chakra to her fingertips, resting them over the cut. As she worked, she could feel the Uchiha evaluating her.  
"You've changed," he said at last.

"Did you expect me to fall all over you, Sasuke? It's been eight years. I have moved on," she stated somewhat coldly.

He seemed taken aback and did not answer her question. Sakura wasn't even sure if she had wanted him to. Just then, Hinata entered the room.

"Sakura-chan, I didn't expect to see you out of your office. I heard about your engagement, congratulations! I'm so happy for you," she said sincerely.

Sakura finished healing Sasuke, then rose to embrace the slender woman. Pulling back, she held out her left hand so Hinata could see the ring. Sasuke slid off the examination table and moved to stand uneasily by the door, watching the two women converse.

"It's been so long since we've been able to talk. You'll have to join me for lunch one day," Sakura offered.

Hinata smiled, "I'd like that, but for now I have to go. It was good seeing you, Sakura-chan."

"You too, Hinata-chan,' the medic said, watching the two leave.

She searched herself to see how it felt to meet her first love again. It had not been as painful as she feared. She wasn't pining for him at all. She was angry with him, but that was for his betrayal of their team and Konoha, not for leaving her. She raised her hand to look at the ring which sparkled on her finger and smiled.

"You're right, Sasuke. I have changed, as have you. I'm not in love with you anymore, but I do wonder if there is any way you and I can be friends again, for the three of us to be a team. I guess only time will tell," she whispered.

"Sakura! We need you in the emergency room immediately. We have a team of ninja who have been poisoned!" one of the nurses gasped.

Sakura turned, emerald eyes gleaming with purpose as she hurried toward where she was needed.

.o0o.o0o.o0.o0o.

That night, Hinata lay in bed, waiting for the inevitable sound of Sasuke climbing through the window. Suddenly, she heard him scream in agony. She sat up in bed, hand going to her kunai as she activated her Byakugan.

"Don't, brother! Don't do that to Father and Mother!" his cry was easily audible through the thin walls.

Hinata relaxed when she saw that he was alone, merely tossing and turning in the throes of a nightmare. He sat up quickly, his breathing erratic, and stumbled out of bed. She watched as he climbed through the window and sprawled on the grass. When he wiped a hand roughly across his eyes, her heart softened. Without thinking, she rose and went to join him. Sasuke didn't look at her when he heard her slide through her own window, but she sat down anyway. She was willing to give him his space; she just wanted him to know that she was here if he needed her. Several hours went by in silence before he finally turned to look at her.

"You heard me," it was more a statement than a question, but Hinata nodded anyway. Sasuke sighed and whispered, "I thought that after Itachi was dead these memories would stop haunting me. However, they've only gotten worse, especially now that I've come back here. Everywhere I look…there are memories of that night."

His dark eyes glittered in the moonlight as he admitted this to her, though whether from sorrow or simply from the moonlight she could not tell.

"You will never forget what Itachi did, Uchiha-san. But you do have a choice in how you allow those memories to affect you," Hinata said.

Sasuke turned away from her, taking refuge in anger.

"What would you know about things like that? You are the heir to the Hyuuga clan. You have family who love you and friends who admire you," he said bitterly.

Hinata smiled softly as she said, "I know more than you think, Uchiha-san. I am not the heir to my clan. My father decided that I was not worthy and focused all his attention on Hanabi, my younger sister. She also viewed me as weak and worthless. You did not see my match at the Chuunin exam, but Neji almost killed me. So you see, Uchiha-san, my family either ignored me or hated me. My only friends were my teammates, though at times I felt that they thought I was only a hindrance to them. Naruto's influence was at times the only thing that kept me going, but after he left to train with Jiraiya-sama I had no one. I was a chuunin before Neji really noticed me and began to help me train. It's only in the past few years that I've made friends and been acknowledged by my family. I know how it feels to be totally alone, to be hurt by the ones you love. I know what I mean when I say that it is your choice as to how you will let your past affect you."

She looked away from him, feeling uncomfortable for pouring her heart out to a man who was a stranger to her. An uneasy silence came between them. At last, Hinata stood to return to her bedroom, but a hand on hers stopped her.

"Don't go, Hyuuga-san. I am sorry. We're more alike than I realized," Sasuke said softly, dark eyes meeting hers imploringly.

She sank back into a seated position and Sasuke quickly withdrew his hand.

"I am sorry as well, Uchiha-san. I was out of line," she said.

"Call me Sasuke," he offered suddenly.

Hinata was glad that the darkness hid her blush as she said, "OK…Sasuke. Call me Hinata."

He rose and offered her a hand up, then led her back to her window. She climbed through, looking back when he did not immediately release her hand.

"Thank you for your words. Good night, Hinata," he said.

"Good night, Sasuke," she responded, missing the warmth of his hand around hers.

With a small smile, Sasuke turned away and entered his own room. They both slept soundly the rest of the night.

* * *

Hmm, what else...oh, in regards to the Ino pairing. A lot of people seemed to like InoSai, but since I only watch the anime and they just introduced Sai in this week's episode (yay!), I don't think I know him well enough to use him in this fic. I've been reading some different Inox? fics and (since I seem to like the weird pairings) I have grown fond of the whole ShinoIno pairing. (Can't spell Shino without Ino. Right, **Kawaii Kabu**?) So right now that is the tentative eventual pairing for Ino, but I'm still open to suggestions. 

On a final note, thanks again for the reviews. **Akai-sora**, I love your sense of humor. The thought of AkamaruIno made my day. And kudos for picking up on my use of precognitive. I was wondering if anyone was going to make note of that.

Again, you guys rock! Keep the reviews coming!!!!


	8. Chapter 7

I am so sorry! I totally forgot to update yesterday! Oh well, better late than never as they always say. This chapter introduces anew character (new to the story, not the Narutoverse). I wrote this chapter entirely on the computer, rather than doing the first draft by hand then making a rewrite on the computer, so it isn't as well-edited as my others. Let me know if you see improvements to be made!

I am proud to announce that, thus far, Miru Hoshi has gotten 100 reviews!! That is far more than I ever imagined I would get when I started this story. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed thus far and keep them coming!

Disclaimer (this applies to last chapter too): I don't own Naruto. If I did, there would have been an anime episode last week. There was not, so I obviously do not own. I mean, come on people, you can't tell us you are introducing Sai, then leave us hanging for two weeks! Anyway...on with the story!

* * *

Chapter Seven 

The next morning, when Sasuke entered the main living area, he found a familiar silver-haired jounin slouched on one of the couches, an orange book held before his single eye. The book lowered for a moment so the jounin could see Sasuke and one gloved hand rose in a lazy greeting.

"Yo," he said shortly.

"Kakashi-sensei," the Uchiha returned, calling him by the title he had used eight years ago.

The man's visible eye crinkled to show that, beneath the mask which covered the lower portion of his face, he was smiling.

"It's been a long time since I was called sensei," he stated, "The others just call me Kakashi now."

Sasuke slowly sat on the chair opposite his former teacher, frowning slightly when he saw that Kakashi had taken the opportunity to continue his book. The Uchiha leaned forward, hooking a finger in the top of the book and pulling it down to see the jounin's face. Kakashi's single eye rose from the text, clearly asking what Sasuke wanted. The young man's eyes flickered red with annoyance and he leaned back.

"You haven't seen me in eight years, but all you're going to do is sit there and read your filthy porn novel," he stated.

Kakashi's eye creased in amusement, "I did not think you would wish to talk, Sasuke."

Sasuke rose, going to glance out the window. He didn't want to rise to the jounin's bait, so he instead decided to change the subject.

"Where is Hinata?" he asked.

"Not Hinata-san? You are being very _familiar_ with her, Sasuke," Kakashi said.

Sasuke stiffened at the clear insinuation in his former teacher's voice. Before the jounin could react, he had whirled and snatched the orange book from Kakashi's fingers. He stepped back out of reach, openly scowling now.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Kakashi. There is nothing going on between Hinata and me," he used one hand to form a seal and a fire ignited in his free hand. He moved the book so that it was directly above the flame, watching the jounin carefully as he said, "Naruto would probably thank me if I burned this."

Kakashi had stiffened at the sight of the flame and, as he concluded, Sasuke suddenly felt the jounin behind him. Kakashi plucked the book from his hand, returning it to his weapons pouch.

"Actually, Naruto has a whole collection I could borrow from if you burned my copy," he drawled lazily. He smiled at the slight astonishment in Sasuke's eyes and added, "He was, after all, trained by Jiraiya, the author of these books."

Sasuke snorted, extinguishing the flame and turning away. He noticed that Kakashi had artfully managed to distract him from his real question.

"You never told me where Hinata was," he said.

Kakashi returned to the couch, leaning back and closing his eye.

"The Hokage wanted to speak with her. He appointed me to be your babysitter until he was done with her," he said.

He heard Sasuke move away from him, going into the kitchen, and a moment later heard the clatter of pots and pans as Sasuke began to fix food for himself. Kakashi noted that the young man made no offer of food to his former teacher. He pondered teasing him about it for a moment, then shook his head. He pulled out his book, holding it in front of his face, while his mind returned to what he had been thinking about before Sasuke had woken up. Naruto had called him in and explained the situation with Itachi's room before sending him to relieve Hinata. Kakashi had snooped around and discovered what the young woman had already reported. The room was sealed with chakra, but there was no seal that would indicate that it had been done by ANBU or one of the previous Hokages. As much as he hated to consider it, Kakashi had come to the conclusion that Itachi was the one who had sealed his room and that there must be something in there he had wished to hide. They would have to open up the room and find out exactly what it was that Itachi had concealed there. And, if Kakashi knew one thing about his former student, it was that Sasuke would never agree to such a thing. He had fought so hard to bury his past and he would not want it dredged up again. The jounin closed his single eye. He didn't think Naruto would give Sasuke much of a choice in the matter.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Hinata stepped into the Hokage's office, covering a yawn with her hand. The last few late nights with Sasuke were really starting to catch up with her. She glanced at the desk and found Naruto's sapphire eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Did I wake you, Hinata-chan?" he teased.

She smiled back, lavender eyes filling with warmth as she responded, "Would it make a difference if I said yes?"

The Hokage thought for a moment, then shook his head. His expression abruptly sobered, turning him from the light-hearted boy she had once known to the serious man he had become. He glanced down at the papers spread upon his desk and Hinata tensed. She knew him well enough to recognize his habits. When Naruto shuffled through his papers, it meant he had bad news for whoever he was speaking to.

"What's wrong? Is Tenten well? Did something happen to Hinode?" she asked, thoughts instantly leaping to her family. The laughter had faded from her expression, replaced with worry.

"No, Hinata-chan. They are fine. I apologize for worrying you. I just received a report from Kakashi and he confirmed your suspicions. Itachi most likely sealed his room himself and we're going to need to find out what is in there. I need you to get Sasuke out of the way while I send an ANBU squad in there to unseal the room," he stated.

"Sasuke would never agree-" she began.

Naruto cut her off, a sign of how frazzled this situation was making him. Typically, he was always willing to hear someone out and consider their opinions before making a decision.

"Sasuke will not have a choice. I am still not certain that I can trust him. Besides, for all we know, the trap could be specifically geared to react to Sasuke. Itachi was far too intelligent to not have a back-up plan in case he was killed. He wanted his younger brother to follow in his footsteps and whatever is in that room could be designed to fulfill that goal. He just came back, Hinata-chan. I will not lose him again so quickly," Naruto stated.

Hinata nodded, realizing that further protest would be useless.

"When will I need to get him away?" she asked, tone purely professional.

Naruto folded his hands in thought, glancing down at the mission log he kept on his desk.

"The team will consist of Kakashi and Neji. Tsunade will also be there in case anything…goes wrong," he glanced up at her on the last phrase.

Hinata bit her lip, thinking of Tenten, Hinode, and their unborn child. Still, Neji knew when he started his family that there was always a possibility that he would not return from a mission. He and Tenten had made that decision three years ago and it was not up to Hinata to protest the Hokage's decision. When the young woman nodded, Naruto continued.

"Several ANBU teams returned yesterday and both Sakura and Tsunade were needed in the operating room. I want Tsunade at full strength, so to make certain of that, the mission will commence in two days. For safety's sake, you need to have Sasuke out of the Uchiha compound all day. I'm not certain how long this will take and I don't want to chance Sasuke getting himself involved in any way. I'm counting on you, Hinata-chan," the young Hokage said.

Hinata smiled slightly at him, knowing that he was doing his best to encourage her. His concern for the feelings of others was one of the things that made him such a wonderful Hokage.

"I won't fail you, Naruto-kun," she responded, forming a seal and vanishing in a puff of smoke.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Sasuke had finished his breakfast and was again sitting in the chair opposite Kakashi, who still had his nose buried in the orange novel. However, Sasuke had made a discovery. The entire time he had been sitting here, the jounin had not turned a single page. He leaned forward slightly.

"Either that page is really good, or you aren't really reading your beloved book," he stated.

Kakashi glanced up at him with the famous eye crinkle.

"This page is just really good, Sasuke. Want to have a look?" he offered.

Sasuke shook his head, making a face.

"I'd rather have the real thing," he said without thinking over his words.

Kakashi raised his eyebrow and Sasuke immediately realized his blunder. His onyx eyes darted away from the jounin, searching for anything to distract him. His mind whirled, but was unable to come up with a change of topic quickly enough

"So, Sasuke, what is your interest in our dear Hyuuga Hinata?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke resorted to his infamous stone face, meeting the older man's curious gaze with a blank stare. He doubted it would work with his former teacher, but he was willing to try anything.

"I have no interest in her," he stated.

Kakashi's eyebrow rose further and he said, "But you told Naruto that you wanted to rebuild the Uchiha clan. You can't do that alone, Sasuke."

"That doesn't mean…Hinata isn't…" Sasuke sighed, wilting before Kakashi's knowing gaze, "Look, she has no idea exactly what my interest in her is. So just, don't mention this to Hinata."

"Mention what?" said a feminine voice from the doorway.

'_Kuso,'_ Sasuke thought.

He gave Kakashi a warning glare and turned his head to see Hinata standing in the doorway, her lavender gaze turning from him to the silver-haired jounin.

"Just something Kakashi and I were discussing. It isn't important," he said quickly, before his former teacher could speak up.

Hinata glanced over to Kakashi, who had risen from the couch and tucked the book away.

"It's not my place to say, Hinata. Ja ne," he said, vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Before she could pursue the subject, Sasuke continued, "So, what did the Hokage need to speak with you about?"

It was Hinata's turn to look away from him. The slight smile on her face dropped away and Sasuke inwardly kicked himself for saying anything to make her unhappy. He paused and wondered, _'When did I start caring so much for her feelings?'_

"I…can't talk about it, Sasuke," she said, expression somewhat pained.

Before he could stop himself, Sasuke rose from his chair and went to her. He hesitantly took her slender hand in his own calloused one. He gaze it a comforting squeeze, drawing her gaze to his.

"Its fine, Hinata. I know I'm not a shinobi yet. I had no right to expect you to tell me about what Naruto said. Forgive me?" he said softly.

She looked up at him and he realized how out of character he must have sounded. He couldn't help it. He wanted to put a smile back on her face, make her happy again. He would do anything to accomplish that. It scared him, how quickly he was falling for this petite young woman. Since his parents died, he had refused to allow himself to get truly close to anyone. Naruto had been his one exception, but he had viciously cut that tie when he went to train under Orochimaru. However, he had only been in Konoha three days and already Hinata held his heart in her hands without even knowing it. Every instinct screamed for him to cut this tie as well, to draw back and isolate himself to keep from being hurt again, but Sasuke couldn't afford to. He wanted to love someone, to have a family like those he had seen where family members were unafraid to show affection to each other. He wanted to wake up beside the same person every day for the rest of his life, stare into their eyes, and tell them that he loved them. Lately, those eyes had been the palest shade of lavender.

He jumped when Hinata squeezed his hand in return, a smile lighting her eyes.

"There is nothing to forgive, Sasuke. It was just a question," she responded.

Sasuke smiled back at her, tension fading from his body. It had been a long time since he had felt so content. Just then, the doorbell rang.

* * *

Anyone want to guess who is at the door? 

As always, don't forget to review!


	9. Chapter 8

I am so sorry there was no update last week! Things got really busy what with the end of the semester coming up and then my immune system decides to take a vacation and let me get sick. So I spent most of last week either in class, sleeping, or practicing for our orchestra concert last Saturday (which went well if anyone cares). Anyway, I'm feeling much better this week and ready to keep going with this story.

This is another one of those chapters that I'm not too sure about. I think Ino may be a bit too stereotypical, so let me know what you think in your reviews. And for those of you concerned about them moving too fast...well, maybe this chapter will help. The couple gets to deal with their first bump in the road. But enough of this, on with the story!

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sama. I am merely borrowing his characters and will return them mostly unharmed when I am finished.

* * *

Chapter Eight 

Sasuke reluctantly released Hinata's hand and went to the door. He slid it open partially, gaze hardening when he realized who it was.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" Ino said cheerfully.

He frowned at the blond and would have closed the door on her had Hinata not come up beside him. She opened the door all the way. He sensed her tension when she realized that Ino was their visitor, but when he glanced down at her, she was smiling at the other woman.

"Good morning, Ino-san," she said.

Ino looked up at Sasuke, but when it seemed he was not willing to grace her with a response, she instead addressed herself to Hinata.

"Hello, Hinata. Do you mind if I come in?" she asked sweetly.

The Hyuuga met Sasuke's gaze, saw the nearly imperceptible shake of his head. He did not want to deal with a crazed fangirl, not when he was trying to court his future wife. She frowned slightly at him. Sasuke's scowl deepened. Hinata turned back to the blonde and began, "Well, Ino-san-"

"Hinata and I are busy," Sasuke interrupted, putting an arm around Hinata and drawing her close to his side.

The young woman's face turned bright red at this unexpected action. Ino, seeing the blush and misinterpreting the reason for it, lost her smile. Her blue eyes turned from Hinata to Sasuke. He held her gaze, driving home to her the fact that he was not available. She glared at Hinata, then whirled and stalked away. Sasuke slid the door closed, still keeping one arm around the petite Hyuuga. She wrenched herself away from him. She had stopped blushing; now her face was pale with anger.

Thwack!

Sasuke stared at her, cheek burning. He raised a hand to it, as if unable to believe that she had just slapped him.

"What were you thinking, using me like that? I don't care whether or not you wanted to talk to Ino; you should have left me out of it. My responsibility is to watch over you. How dare you cast doubt on my integrity?" she said, slender frame shaking with the force of her emotion.

"Hinata…" he said softly.

"Naruto w-was depending on m-me to remain unbiased. Wh-what will h-he think?" she said to herself. Her stutter had returned as her lavender eyes filled with tears. Hinata hated how, every time she became emotional, she always ended up crying. She turned away from Sasuke, not wanting him to see her cry.

Sasuke felt his heart shatter when she turned away from him.

'_What was I thinking? Hinata isn't like my fangirls…I _was_ using her. You idiot! She was warming up to you and now you've blown it!' _he thought.

"Hinata," he whispered again, stepping toward her and laying a hand on her shoulder.

She stiffened at his touch and tried to pull away, but he wouldn't allow it. He dragged her into the circle of his arms and kept her there. She struggled within his grasp for a moment before giving in and sobbing onto his shoulder. He ran his hand through her hair in an attempt to comfort her. When her tears at last eased, he pulled back and whispered, "I am sorry, Hinata. I wasn't thinking. I'll explain that to Naruto. Please, forgive me."

She turned her head away from him, wiping her face with the sleeve of her uniform.

"I don't like you right now," she said.

His heart fell and he released her completely. She glanced up at him and, to her surprise, saw pain in his obsidian gaze. Hinata hesitantly reached out, laying a hand over the bright red imprint on his cheek. He flinched, still not looking at her.

"Sasuke, we're friends, right? I'm allowed to not like you every once in a while, but that doesn't mean we aren't friends," she began.

He slowly turned his head to meet her gaze, hope dawning in his eyes. Hinata dropped her hand, turning slightly pink.

She kept her expression serious as she added, "But don't ever use me like that again. Friends don't do that to each other."

He nodded, saying, "I really am sorry, Hinata."

She at last allowed herself to smile, thinking again how cute he was.

"You're forgiven, Sasuke," she said.

"I should probably go talk to Naruto now before he hears any rumors," the Uchiha stated.

Hinata nodded and said, "I'll escort you to his office."

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

They made the journey in a relatively comfortable silence and Hinata left him in the care of the ANBU who guarded the Hokage. She then hurried to hospital, hoping Sakura would have time to see her. Thankfully, the pink-haired medic was getting ready to leave on her lunch break. They entered a restaurant and sat down, quickly ordering their food. Sakura studied her friend closely.

"What's wrong, Hinata? You look like you've been crying," she said, green eyes concerned.

The Hyuuga glanced down at the table, pushing her pointer fingers together in a nervous gesture she hadn't used in years. This had seemed like a good idea on the way over, but now that Sakura was here looking at her, Hinata was reconsidering her decision. Sakura leaned forward, easily recognizing that her friend was anxious.

"Ok, Hinata, spill it," she commanded.

Hinata looked up at Sakura, lavender eyes wide.

"IthinkIlikeSasuke," she gasped.

Sakura frowned. Did Hinata just say what she thought the other woman had?

"What?" she asked.

Hinata bit her lip, then whispered, "I think I like Sasuke."

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

It was several minutes before Sasuke was escorted into the Hokage's office. The two ANBU who had led him into the room took up positions on either side of the door. Even though their eyes were hidden within their masks, Sasuke could sense that they were fixated on him. It was clear that they would allow no harm to come to their beloved Hokage. Naruto looked up from his papers, sapphire eyes widening when he realized who it was.

"What can I do for you, Sasuke?" he asked.

The Uchiha glanced back at the ANBU, uncomfortable to mention the reason he had come in their presence. Naruto followed his gaze and smiled sympathetically.

"You get used to them, Sasuke. Especially when they won't leave you alone for one minute," he said, pretending to be annoyed.

He then proceeded to grin at the two, showing that he held no hard feelings for their attention. However, Sasuke saw in his eyes that, though Naruto understood the need for their presence, the ferociously independent Hokage still wished he did not have any bodyguards.

"It's about Hyuuga Hinata. Yamanaka Ino came to harass me and I may have misrepresented my relationship with Hinata to her," he said formally.

Naruto had grinned slightly at Sasuke's choice of words when describing Ino's visit, but at his last statement the Hokage grew serious.

"Misrepresented in what way?" he asked.

Sasuke glanced at the ground and Naruto could have sworn his cheeks gained the tiniest bit of pink. When the Uchiha raised his head, however, there was no trace of a blush. He met the Hokage's gaze squarely.

"I hinted that Hinata and I were in a relationship," he said.

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the thought of Sasuke treating his dearest friend in such a way. When his next words came out, there was a hint of a growl to them.

"Explain yourself," he snarled.

"There is no excuse for what I did. I did not consider Hinata's feelings. I was only concerned about getting Yamanaka away from me as quickly as possible. I have already apologized to her, and I wished to let you know in case Yamanaka decided to spread any rumors around Konoha," Sasuke said.

Naruto leaned back in his chair, considering his former best friend.

"What do you think of Hinata then? I wouldn't think you would allow any woman close to you, even if you were trying to escape another," he said, watching the Uchiha for any sign of emotion.

Sasuke kept his face completely blank as he replied, "As Kakashi told me, I cannot revive my clan by myself."

"You obviously aren't interested in Ino. Hinata is the only woman from the Rookie Nine still unattached. Who else could you be considering?" the Hokage asked.

"I have my options," the dark-haired man said evasively.

Naruto suddenly grinned, "I wouldn't blame you for being interested in Hinata. Beneath all that baggy clothing, she's-" He made motions in the air with his hands to indicate a woman's curvy body.

Sasuke felt suddenly uncomfortable.

"Naruto…how would you know this?" he asked.

Hinata had mentioned that they had been on a few dates, but surely they hadn't gone _that_ far. The Hokage abruptly looked nonplussed. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He was quickly recalling the habits of Jiraiya, Naruto's former teacher. The old man's favorite pastime had been spying on women's bathhouses.

"Naruto, you pervert," he growled.

The Hokage's eyes widened, "Ano, Sasuke…it isn't what you-"

"Then you had her permission?" the Uchiha asked dangerously.

"Well, no…but-" Naruto stammered.

Sasuke's eyes had bled to the crimson of Sharingan and the ANBU both 'conveniently' blinked as he reminded the Hokage what proper etiquette around women was.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

"Then he took me in his arms and held me until I stopped crying," Hinata finished.

During this time, her eyes had been on her pointer fingers as she poked them together, but now she gathered the courage to look up at her friend. Sakura's green eyes were wide with shock. Slowly, she smiled.

"Well, I didn't think the ice-cube had it in him," she said at last.

"He isn't as cold as you think he is, Sakura-chan. He's hurt and he tries to hide it behind that façade of uncaring," she said.

"He shows it around you," Sakura responded.

The young woman's gaze returned to her hands as she whispered, "That's because I know all about façades."

There was a moment's awkward silence as Sakura regarded Hinata with compassion. For most of her life, the Hyuuga female had been forced to lock away her emotions in a struggle to become powerful enough to please her father and the rest of her clan. It was only after that burden had been lifted from her shoulders that Hinata had begun to learn to be totally genuine with other people. She would indeed know about hiding one's true feelings. Sakura impulsively reached across the table to squeeze her friend's hand.

"I think you'll be good for Sasuke," she said.

Hinata glanced up, saying in a small voice, "You aren't angry at me?"

"How could I be? Sasuke was a crush. Lee is the man I am in love with. However, I do need to warn you, Hinata-chan. We all want to believe that he is back for good, but there is a chance that he might leave again. I know how it feels to watch him walk away and I don't want to see it happen to you," she said.

"I know, Sakura-chan. Besides, nothing can happen between us until he proves himself. I promised Naruto that I would remain unbiased."

Sakura smiled at the slender woman.

"Thanks for confiding in me, Hinata-chan. It means a lot to me," she said.

"Thank you for listening," Hinata returned.

Sakura glanced at the time and her eyes widened. She grabbed a few bills from her purse, tossing them on the table and standing.

"I have to go, Hinata-chan. My break was over ten minutes ago. Good luck and feel free to talk to me any time," she said, running from the restaurant.

Hinata stood, organizing the money Sakura had left and paying their bill. She slowly walked back to the building which housed the Hokage's office, meeting Sasuke as the ANBU were escorting him out. He looked down at her and blushed, quickly looking away. She frowned, wondering what was wrong with him. Truthfully, when Sasuke had looked at her, he had remembered Naruto's comment about her body.

"Let's go home," he said.

Hinata's frown melted into a soft smile.

'_Home,'_ she thought.

* * *

As always, read and review! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter, because I am really uncertain about it. Thanks to all my reviewers and future reviewers!! Keep up the good work! 


	10. Chapter 9

Here's the next chapter...kinda on time. I'm only sixteen minutes past posting it on Monday, close enough. For those who were curious, I do intend to put some more Naruto-Sasuke bonding in later chapters. It is fun to write those two. n.n

Disclaimer: The only things that belong to me are Hinode and puts hand over mouth Well, you'll see. Anyway, I don't own Naruto or any other characters.

* * *

Chapter Nine

After they had finished eating lunch, Hinata looked over at the Uchiha.

"Do you want to go train?" she asked.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow before nodding.

"If you want to, Hinata," he responded.

"I'll go get the scrolls," she said, quickly leaving the kitchen to hide her blush. She laid her hands on her hot cheeks as she entered her room. She whispered to herself, "Why do you have to blush every time you're around a guy you're attracted to? It makes it so obvious…"

She retrieved the katana scroll and began to exit her bedroom, stopping in the doorway. Her lavender gaze was fixed on Itachi's room. Almost without realizing it, she stepped forward. The scroll dropped to the ground, clunking on the wooden floor. She lifted a hand to the door.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Sasuke raised his head as he heard the sound of something dropping to the ground. His eyebrows drew down and he stood, walking toward the hallway. He looked down, breath catching in his throat. Hinata stood before the door to his brother's room, stretching a hand toward it. The expression on her face was almost that of a person trapped in a genjutsu. He ran toward her, catching hold of her wrist and spinning her away from Itachi's room. One arm went around her, the other lifting her chin so that she looked into his eyes.

"Hinata," he said.

She stared at him blankly, as though not really seeing him. Sasuke cursed under his breath, onyx eyes changing to the crimson of Sharingan. The black tomoe whirled, dragging Hinata into his mind.

_The world around them bled into black and red. Sasuke looked around warily, eyes widening in shock. He stood in the same room in which he had discovered the bodies of his parents. He instinctively tightened his hold on Hinata, glancing down at her. Her body had gone limp against his, her head dropping down to rest against his chest._

"_Hinata," he whispered, again lifting her chin to see her face._

_Her eyes slowly opened and Sasuke faced his second shock. Instead of the white of Byakugan, the woman in his arms had the crimson eyes of the Uchiha clan. He released her, stepping back into the pool of moonlight which shone into the room. He heard footsteps as Hinata followed him, but the person who stepped into the moonlight was not the young woman. Sasuke's eyes narrowed._

"_Itachi," he growled, "What have you done to Hinata?"_

_The older Uchiha smirked ever so slightly. He stepped closer to Sasuke, his crimson eyes whirling in preparation to attack. Sasuke held his brother's gaze without fear. He knew from his last battle with Itachi that he could counter his brother's attacks with his own Sharingan. Without warning, the older Uchiha moved to attack him. They traded blows, only able to keep up with each other through the aid of their kekkei genkai. However, this battle ended just as their last one had. Sasuke slipped through his brother's guard, landing a killing blow. Itachi's hair came loose from its tie as he collapsed, hiding his face. Sasuke stepped closer, using a foot to roll him over. His face went pale. Instead of his brother, it was Hinata lying on the floor._

The world changed back to its normal colors. Sasuke looked down at the woman he still cradled in his arms. She had gone completely limp and did not respond when he called her name. Sasuke felt for her pulse, finding it weak and sluggish.

"No…" he whispered.

He lifted her bridal-style and ran from the house, moving swifter than sight through the village of Konoha. He burst into the hospital, startling the nurse working at the front desk. She looked from his crimson eyes to the woman held in his arms.

"Where is Sakura?" he demanded.

"Sir…" the woman began to protest.

The black tomoe in his eyes whirled as he repeated, "Where is Sakura?"

The nurse flinched away from him.

"Th-third floor, room 318," she stuttered.

The man was gone as quickly as he had appeared. The nurse reached for her phone, hands shaking with terror.

"S-Sakura-sama…th-there's a man h-headed to your o-office. It's the U-Uchiha," she stammered into the phone.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Sasuke entered the pink-haired medic's office much the same way he had entered the hospital itself. Sakura sat behind her desk, fully prepared to lecture him about proper manners, but all that flew out of her mind when she saw the pale woman cradled in his arms. She pushed the papers off her desk, not caring of the mess they created on her floor.

"Put her down here," she ordered briskly. She quickly began to check Hinata's vitals as she asked, "What happened?"

Sasuke's gaze did not leave the young woman's pale face.

"I…need to talk to Naruto," he answered at last.

Sakura's expression tightened with anger.

"I can't help Hinata unless you tell me what happened to her. She seems to be in shock. What caused it?" she demanded.

"She was trapped in Tsukuyomi," he said.

The next thing he knew, he was slammed against the wall with Sakura's chakra-laden fist poised in front of his face. The medic's green eyes were sparkling with rage, her fingers tight around his throat.

"What did you do to Hinata?" she yelled.

He tried to breathe, but her hand was keeping his windpipe closed. She released him after a long moment and he drew in a gasping breath, not meeting her gaze.

"I…didn't mean to. Please, can't you wake her?" he whispered, voice raw from the pressure she had put on his throat.

Sakura turned back to Hinata, green healing chakra coming to her hands. She laid them over Hinata, expression intense as she worked. Suddenly, the door swung open and Tsunade, Naruto, and several ANBU stepped inside the office. Tsunade quickly joined her former pupil, adding her chakra to Sakura's. Naruto went straight to Sasuke.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"I should have mentioned something earlier, but I didn't want to face it. Itachi sealed his room with chakra, before…well, it was never opened. This afternoon, Hinata and I were going to go to the training grounds. She went back to her room to get a few things and, when I went to check on her, she was about to touch Itachi's door. I stopped her, but it looked like she was under some sort of genjutsu. So I used Tsukuyomi on her," he said.

Naruto frowned and asked sarcastically, "A release technique wouldn't have worked?"

"Not against one of Itachi's genjutsu," Sasuke responded, "Once I had brought her inside Tsukuyomi, it was almost like the technique had been reversed. I was back at the night Itachi, killed everyone. Instead of Hinata, I was facing him. We fought, but at the end when I defeated him, he changed back into Hinata."

Naruto kept his expression impassive.

'_So I was right. Itachi was after Sasuke,'_ he thought. Aloud, he said, "Sasuke, I'm going to have to put you under guard until Hinata wakes up and is able to tell her side of the story."

His eyes showed that he wanted to believe his best friend, but Sasuke had not regained his trust yet. Sasuke nodded, closing his eyes. When he opened them, they were their normal shade of onyx. The ANBU moved forward and again placed chakra-draining restraints around his wrists. It was only when they began to lead him toward the door that Sasuke resisted. He turned his head back toward Sakura.

"Will she be all right?" he asked.

The pink-haired medic did not answer. It was Tsunade who at last responded.

"She'll be fine," she said shortly.

The Uchiha male allowed the ANBU to lead him from the room. Naruto looked after him, then joined the two medic-nin at the desk. The glow of chakra at their hands faded. Tsunade stepped away.

"Sakura can handle things from here. I have other matters to tend to," she said, leaving the room.

The two shook their heads. They knew that by this she was planning on going to drink sake. However, this was a relief to Naruto. If the experienced medic was going to get herself drunk, that meant Hinata was well out of danger. As if in response to his thoughts, the young woman stirred. Confused lavender eyes slowly fixed on them.

"Naruto-kun? Sakura-chan? What happened?" she asked.

The blonde Hokage leaned down and said, "We were hoping you could tell us, Hinata-chan. What is the last thing you remember?"

"Sasuke and I were going to train. I went to my room, then…" she hesitated, brow furrowing as she struggled to remember, "Sharingan. That's the last thing I recall."

The two former teammates exchanged a glance.

"What could Sasuke have been thinking?" Naruto murmured, heading for the door.

Hinata sat up quickly, clutching Sakura for support as her head spun.

"Naruto-kun, wait! It wasn't Sasuke," she said.

"How do you know that?" the Hokage asked, returning to her side.

"Why would he harm me, then bring me to the hospital and wait for you to come arrest him? Besides, I don't think he would hurt me intentionally," she added softly.

Naruto gave her a searching glance. He was no longer as dense as he had been as a genin. He could see what was right in front of him.

"Hinata-chan, you're falling in love with him, aren't you?" he asked.

Her face turned beet red and she looked down.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. You were counting on me to remain unbiased. You should take me off the mission," she whispered.

"No, this is great," Naruto grinned.

Both Hinata and Sakura looked at him as though he was losing his mind.

"If you are allowing yourself to fall in love with him, you trust him on some instinctive level. I know you, Hinata-chan and, though you have a soft heart, you don't trust people so easily. If you believe in Sasuke, that's good enough for me," he said, "I'll order that he be released, though you will need to stay away from the Uchiha compound. It seems you were caught in a genjutsu and, when Sasuke tried to bring you out of it, it caught him as well."

"Is Sasuke all right?" Hinata asked.

Naruto nodded and turned to leave. As he reached for the door, it swung open and nearly hit him. The nurse standing in the hallway bowed.

"Sorry, Hokage-sama," she said before turning her attention to Sakura, "Sakura-san, Hyuuga Tenten has gone into labor early. Tsunade-sama is…currently unable to help with the delivery."

Hinata gasped, eyes widening with concern. The baby was a month early! That could not be good. She glanced at her friend to see Sakura's face was pale, but composed. She strode for the door, calling back, "Hinata, you stay here and rest."

She hurried off with the nurse. Naruto looked at the young woman, raising a blonde eyebrow.

"Will you listen to Sakura's orders?" he asked.

"Of course," Hinata stated.

He nodded slowly, giving her one last measuring glance before also leaving the office. Hinata waited for the sound of his footsteps to fade away before pushing herself off the desk. She staggered and had to catch herself by grabbing hold of the wall. She leaned against it to gather herself before continuing down the hallway. She couldn't sit still and rest. Not when Neji and Tenten needed her.

* * *

Don't forget to review! Constructive criticism is always welcome. 


	11. Chapter 10

This will be the last chapter for awhile. Next week is finals and the next few weeks after that I will not have access to a computer. Look for the next chapter sometime shortly after Christmas (hopefully before January). Enjoy this chapter until then!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter Ten

Neji paced along the hospital corridor, pale gaze turning often to the closed door of the delivery room. He could hear his wife's moans of pain, though their intensity was muffled by the wall between them. His silver eyes narrowed with irritation as he recalled how Sakura had escorted him from the room and closed the door firmly in his face. So what if he had fainted during Hinode's birth? He knew what to expect now and wanted to be by Tenten's side.

"Neji-oniisan," he turned just in time to catch Hinata as she stumbled.

A portion of his worry transferred from his wife to his cousin. She was far too pale. He lifted her in his arms, carrying her over to one of the chairs against the wall and setting her down gently. He crouched in front of her so that he could look into her eyes.

"Hinata-sama, what is wrong? Sakura said that you would be resting," he said.

She ignored him, wide eyes fixed on the door of the delivery room. He saw her wince as Tenten cried out.

"Is Tenten going to be all right?" she whispered.

He took her trembling hand in his, suddenly grateful for her presence. In calming her fear, he could ignore his own.

"They'll both be fine They are in good hands," he stated.

He was relieved to see some of the color returning to her face.

"Where is Hinode?" she asked, noticing for the first time that the little boy was not present.

"I left him with Hanabi-sama," Neji answered.

She nodded and they both fell silent, listening to the cries coming from the delivery room.

"Where is the Uchiha?" he asked.

"N-Naruto wanted to speak with him," Hinata answered.

His silver eyes narrowed at her slight stutter. She was lying to him. However, he decided not to press the issue for now. A few minutes later, Sasuke came down the hallway followed by several ANBU. The masked ninjas nodded to both Neji and Hinata before vanishing. The Hyuuga male rose from his crouch, resuming his pacing. He watched with narrowed eyes as Sasuke took the seat beside his cousin, whispering something into her ear. She relaxed and smiled gratefully at him. To Neji's surprise, the Uchiha returned her smile with a tiny lift of his own lips.

Several hours had passed and Neji was now collapsed in a chair on the other side of Hinata. His eyes were fixed on the door to the delivery room, as though by that mere act he could ease his wife's suffering. He tensed at a particularly loud cry and Hinata laid a comforting hand on his arm. He realized that, behind the door, everything had gone quiet. Suddenly, the wail of a newborn pierced the air. Neji was on his feet in an instant, standing anxiously in front of the door. A few minutes crept by with Neji becoming more concerned by the moment. What was taking so long? Was something wrong with Tenten or the baby? At last, the door opened. Sakura smiled tiredly at him, pushing disheveled pink hair back from her face.

"You can come in now, Hyuuga-san," she said.

He stepped into the room, gaze fixing on the exhausted form of his wife. Her long brown hair was darkened by sweat and her face pale with exhaustion, but the smile she directed at him was angelic. He went to stand by her, taking her hand in his. Sakura came up to him, a tiny bundle cradled in her arms.

"Your daughter," she said simply.

Neji carefully took her from the medic's arms, holding her in one arm. With the other, he carefully peeled the blanket away from her face. It was wrinkled and as red as a tomato, but to him, she was the second most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He ran a hand over the dark fuzz which covered her head and she opened pale lavender eyes to look up at him. His heart turned to mush and he was certain that a stupid grin was plastered across his face. He looked down at his beautiful wife.

"Do you have a name for her?" he asked.

Tenten shook her head, saying, "Let Hinata decide what to name her."

Neji nodded, turning as Sakura let Hinata and Sasuke into the room. His cousin's eyes turned from Tenten to the baby held in his arms. She gave him a relieved smile, coming closer. Neji carefully placed his daughter in her arms.

"Tenten wants you to name her," he whispered.

Hinata looked startled, then studied the newest member of her family in thought.

"Asayake," she suggested, glancing over at Tenten to see her reaction to the name.

The brunette smiled.

"It's perfect, Hina-chan," she said.

Tenten then looked over to Sasuke, who stood hesitantly by the door. Raising a hand, she beckoned him closer.

"Hina-chan, let Uchiha-san hold Asayake," she said.

The young man's obsidian eyes widened, but before he could protest, the baby was in his arms. He stared down at her and she stared back up at him. After a tense moment, he relaxed. His face remained expressionless, but Hinata saw his eyes warm as he looked down at the tiny girl. She did not know it, but the Uchiha was picturing holding his own child someday, hopefully soon. Sakura came forward and Sasuke surrendered the baby to her care.

"Tenten and Asayake need to rest," she stated, "Neji, you may stay if you wish."

The Hyuuga genius bent to kiss his wife's cheek, then straightened. He said, "I'll be back later, koishii. Sleep well."

He left the room with Hinata and Sasuke.

"Hinata, are you ready to return to the compound?" the Uchiha asked.

The young woman looked away from him, then forced her gaze to meet his. She fought the urge to show her uneasiness by pushing her fingers together, making sure her hands stayed by her sides.

"Naruto didn't tell you? We're not supposed to go back after what happened this morning," she said.

Sasuke's dark eyes hardened, "He's planning on sending an ANBU squad in, isn't he?"

When Hinata didn't answer, he turned away from her. His hands clenched into fists as he ground his teeth in frustration.

"I knew that man better than anyone. Naruto is a fool to send a team without me Even Hyuuga doesn't stand a chance against the kind of genjutsu Itachi would have used to seal his room," he growled.

Hinata glanced over at her cousin to find his expression firm. Naruto's words echoed through her memory, _'Tsunade will also be there in case anything…goes wrong,'_ and _'I want Tsunade at full strength.'_

"The Hokage knows what he is doing, Uchiha," Neji stated, before looking at Hinata, "In the meantime, why don't you stay at the Hyuuga estate? It would be easy enough to prepare a guest room for the Uchiha."

It was then, staring into her cousin's silver eyes, that Hinata realized he fully expected to die on this mission. He wanted her close by to comfort Tenten when the news came.

"Ok, Neji-oniisan," she whispered.

Sasuke turned back to them, onyx eyes scrutinizing both Hyuugas. He sensed that something has passed between them, but had no idea what it could be. Just then, Sakura stepped into the hallway. She went to Hinata and laid a glowing hand on her forehead.

"You appear to be recovering well, but you still need to rest, Hinata-chan," she said.

Neji frowned, "What happened?"

"Nothing, oniisan. I am fine," the young woman stated.

She did not want to cause more strife between the two males. She hugged both Neji and Sakura goodbye before leaving the hospital, Sasuke following her quietly. He drew even with her, studying her composed face. He saw no sign of the pain he knew he had heard in her voice when saying farewell to the Hyuuga genius.

"What are you not telling me?" he asked.

His frustration about the situation with Itachi's room had not yet fully abated so the question came out sharper than he had intended. Her lavender eyes flashed and she lifted her chin.

"There are many things I don't tell you, Sasuke. Why would you expect me to?" she returned, voice equally as sharp.

Sasuke felt his own temper flare, but it was accompanied by a surge of hurt. He took her hand and pulled her close to him, lowering his head to whisper in her ear.

"Because we are friends, Hinata," he said.

She shivered as his breath caressed her skin and artfully slipped from his hold, her anger evaporated.

"It's a family matter, Sasuke. I'd rather not speak of it," she said.

He nodded, well understanding her desire to not speak of her family. He smoothly changed the topic by stating, "I need to stop at the clothing store and have them deliver my clothes to the Hyuuga mansion."

She turned her steps toward Konoha's shopping district, her thoughts returning to her cousin. She again waited outside while Sasuke entered and spoke with the manager of the store. He emerged a few moments later.

"They'll bring them this afternoon," he said.

* * *

Note: For those of you who remember, Hinode means 'sunrise.' Ayasake is the morning glow which accompanies the sunrise. So I'm keeping this little theme going. n.n As always, leave a review and let me know what you thought of the chapter! 


	12. Chapter 11

I have returned at last! n.n Happy New Year's Eve to everyone! I hope you all have a great year in 2008.

This chapter serves two purposes. It continues the story of Miru Hoshi, as well as kinda serving as a preview for the next Naruto story I have in mind to write. Let me know if you would be interested in me continuing this as a separate story.

Disclaimer: I did not receive the rights to Naruto for Christmas, so sadly, that dream remains unfulfilled. It still belongs to Kishimoto-san.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

"This way, Haruno-san. Your table is ready," the waitress said, leading the way through the restaurant.

She slid open the door to a private booth, letting the pink-haired medic slip inside before closing the door behind her.

"Do you know how long I've been trying to get a hold of you, Forehead?" Ino demanded, her pale blue eyes flickering with roiling emotions.

Sakura calmly scanned the menu as she answered, "It's been a busy morning, Ino-pig. First I had to treat Hinata, then Tenten went-"

"You saw Hinata? Is it really true that she and Sasuke are interested in each other?" the blond interrupted.

"Yes, Ino. They are attracted to each other. Sasuke is out of your reach. Do not interfere with them, or I will make certain you regret it," firm green eyes met wide blue ones as she continued, "Hinata has a chance at happiness with Sasuke. She has been alone for far too long and I won't let you ruin this before she has that chance."

Ino's lip quivered coquettishly at this and she asked plaintively, "Don't I deserve a chance at happiness?"

"You can have your pick of men, Ino. Sasuke is the first one to interest Hinata since Naruto. You will not do anything to break them apart," Sakura stated.

Ino was kept from responding when the waitress came to take their order. As soon as the door shut behind her, the blond scowled at her friend.

"But it's _Sasuke_, Forehead! He's the most gorgeous man I've ever seen. Just because you're happy with Rock Lee doesn't mean I should stop-" she cut off abruptly, eyes wide, when a chakra-laden fist came to hover just in front of her nose

Sakrua's green eyes were furious as she glared at her best friend.

"By Kami, Ino, if you won't leave Sasuke and Hinata alone, I will physically stop you," she growled.

The blond met the glare head-on for a long moment. Even though she was still a chuunin, she was a powerful ninja. Although, it was no small challenge to face the superhuman strength of the Fifth Hokage's former apprentice. Her scowl faltered and she glanced away. Just then, the waitress returned with their food. Ino took a bite, then smiled at her friend.

"So, have you and Lee set a date, Forehead?" she asked.

Sakura relaxed at this question. Ino was too proud to admit that she would stop pursuing Sasuke, but this change of subject was a peace offering showing that she acquiesced to the medic's demand.

"Not yet," she said, "You know how Lee is. He would marry me today, but I want everything to be perfect," Sakura said.

"What about your dress?" Ino asked.

The rest of lunch passed in this manner and Sakura left the restaurant in a cheerful mood. Ino, however, was inwardly miserable. She decided to go see Shikamaru. Despite his lazy personality, he always managed to cheer her up. When she knocked on the door to his apartment, there was a moment of silence.

Then, Shikamaru's voice was heard through the door, "Coming! How troublesome…"

The blond found a smile coming to her face even before she saw him. Of course, he had to ruin everything when he opened the door. His eyes widened at the sight of her and he quickly set down the half-full packing box he had been carrying. He stepped out into the hallway, partially closing the door behind him.

"Ino, what are you doing here? This is really not a good time," he said.

She frowned, but her questions were answered by another voice from his apartment.

"Shikamaru, who is it?" a female called.

"No one important, Temari," he responded.

He turned back to his visitor and caught the hurt expression in Ino's eyes. His bored look was replaced by one of chagrin as he realized how his long-time friend would take that statement. He muttered something under his breath about troublesome women, then reached out a hand to her.

"Look, Ino…" he began.

She caught the gleam of a plain gold band on his left ring finger and ducked away from his hand, looking stunned. Shikamaru followed her gaze and his ashamed expression deepened.

"We eloped last night. It was totally unplanned. I'm sorry, Ino, but it would be best if you left now. Temari would not be pleased to find you here since we've…dated in the past," he said quietly.

Again, the blond was far too stubborn to show that he had hurt her with his words. She pulled herself together, nodding in response to what he had said.

"You're right, Shika. I apologize for interrupting. Are you moving to the Sand Village then?" she asked politely.

He shook his head.

"No, we're moving just down the street into a house. Temari refuses to live in an apartment. She says it makes her feel too confined," Shikamaru said.

"Well then, I…hope you two are happy together," she said, the words bitter in her mouth.

"Thank you, Ino," Shikamaru said, wisely backing away from her and going back into his apartment.

Back to his wife.

Ino held her head high as she left the building, blinking back tears. She refused to cry over him. If he had moved on, she certainly could as well. The blond set her jaw firmly. She would go see Chouji.

.oOo.oOo.

Ino met her other teammate as he was leaving his apartment.

"Chouji, can we talk?" she asked him.

"Sure! I was just on my way to the new barbeque place to get something to eat. We can talk there," the large chuunin offered.

"Actually, I wanted to talk privately. Can we just stay at your apartment?" Ino said.

Chouji looked rather put out at the thought of delaying his meal. Ino's tenuous control of her temper snapped.

"Fine! Go to your barbeque restaurant, Chouji, but don't expect to see me outside a mission again," she spat, storming from the building and leaving Chouji gaping after her.

.oOo.oOo.

Ino left the walls of Konoha, moving swiftly through the forest which surrounded it. She stopped running when she reached her favorite field. There, surrounded by myriads of colorful flowers, she sat down and at last allowed herself to cry. Shikamaru and Chouji had been her friends since they were first placed on a team together. She had relied on the two of them for almost, but now that would change. Shikamaru was married and she refused to keep competing with food for Chouji's attention.

The blond lifted her head as a bug settled on her bare arm. Unlike most girls, the sight of the bug did not cause her to panic. Years of working around them in her parents' flower shop had delivered her of that fear. The bug flew off her arm, drawing her attention to a man she had not noticed beforehand. He leaned against a tree at the edge of the clearing, dressed entirely in dark clothing that was probably the reason she had not noticed him earlier. Despite the warmth of the day, he wore a jacket which covered his hair and the lower half of his face. The visible portion of his features was further hidden behind dark sunglasses. Seeing that she had noticed him, he straightened and walked toward her. He paused a few feet away.

"Am I intruding, Yamanaka-san?" he asked in a deep, soothing voice.

Ino knew she recognized him, though she could not recall his name. Still, there was something about his presence that made her relax. Wiping away her tears with one hand, she gave him a brilliant smile.

"Not at all. Please sit," she hesitating, waiting for him to offer his name.

He took a step closer, then lowered his lean form onto the grass. Though it was impossible to make out any expression in the small portion of his face that was visible, she sensed somehow that he was disappointed by her failure to recognize him.

"Shino Aburame," he supplied.

'_The bug boy from Kiba and Hinata's team,'_ she realized.

That explained why he had seemed familiar, and why she hadn't been able to place him. Because of his unique ability with bugs, he had often been assigned solo missions even as a chuunin. Since he had become a jounin, nearly all his missions were solo or with other members of his clan. Even when her team had been paired with his, he had easily been overshadowed by the boisterous Kiba and even the quieter Hinata. She wondered why this reclusive man had suddenly decided to speak with her.

"What is the matter, Yamanaka-san?" Shino asked.

Ino looked up into his dark glasses, seeing only the reflection of her own face. Her smile wavered.

"What do you mean?" she said.

Shino leaned forward and, ever so gently, ran a calloused finger down her cheek. The blond felt her breath catch at this unexpectedly tender gesture from the mysterious jounin. She tried to search his gaze, but the sunglasses hid any emotion from her scrutiny. He leaned back, lifting his finger so that she could see the tear which glittered on its tip.

"You have been crying, Yamanaka-san. Why?" he repeated.

Ino was still unable to read his expression, but something in that deep voice seemed to shatter the barriers her pride had built around her heart. Tears rushed back into her eyes, blurring the field around her. She dropped her head so that her long hair hid her face and let the tears fall as she blurted out the entire story—from Sasuke's rejection, to Sakura's ultimatum, to Shikamaru's sudden marriage. Ino ended with a tirade against barbeque restaurants and Chouji's inattentiveness.

Throughout the long speech, Shino sat quietly without showing a sign of boredom. Then again, it was nearly impossible to see any kind of emotion on his concealed face.

"Now I've lost both of them and I don't know what to do," she ended tearfully.

Shino regarded her silently before saying, "It doesn't sound to me like you have lost your teammates, Yamanaka-san."

"But they both have someone…or something…more important in their lives," she protested.

Though she could not see his expression, she was again able to sense his emotions. He seemed almost amused by her words.

"Forgive me, but everything does not revolve around you. You can remain friends with your teammates without being the center of their attention," the jounin stated.

Usually, this sort of statement would earn Ino's wrath, but around this man it seemed that she just could not summon her rage. She leaned toward him, studying what she could see of his face again in an attempt to determine what it was about him that affected her so powerfully. Beneath those sunglasses and the hood, he might actually be handsome. The well-defined cheekbones and aristocratic nose boded well for his hidden features. Ino smiled suddenly, leaning even closer to him.

"But I _like_ being the center of attention," she purred.

Before he could catch himself, Shino drew his head away from her advance. The blond smirked at this sign of discomfort from the otherwise stoic man.

"Things don't always turn out the way we would like them to," he said.

Ino could not immediately think of a response to that, so instead she scooted toward him and laid a hand over his. She could feel the vibration of the insects which lived inside him through his skin. Not expecting this, she instinctively pulled back her hand. Again, she felt the jounin's disappointment. He didn't say a word though as he rose and began to walk away, taking with him the comfort he had brought. Ino scowled, not ready to let him go.

"Shino-kun!" she called, following after him.

He stopped and turned back toward her. When she reached him, Ino acted impulsively. She yanked down the fabric which covered the lower portion of his face, taking a moment to admire his finely-shaped mouth, then used the hold she had on his jacket to pull him down to her level before kissing him deeply. When his lips touched hers, Ino felt an electric current run through her body. Kissing Shikamaru and Chouji had never felt like this! She was so dazed by the feeling that she didn't notice he had pulled away until he spoke, voice cold.

"Do not toy with me, Yamanaka-san," he stated, making a hand sign and vanishing with a puff of smoke.

Ino lifted a hand to her lips, wondering if his lips had left a mark. It did not seem he had, but her world had been shaken. She knew instinctively that no man would be able to measure up to what she had just experienced. Now she just had to convince Shino that she was the only woman for him. Her light blue eyes narrowed. There was no way she was going to let the reclusive bug-user escape her.

* * *

And now, I will answer comments from my reviewers...

To all those who expressed concern for the fate of Neji, all I will say is that Hinata is going to do her best to keep any harm from coming to her cousin. Whether she will succeed or not, you'll have to keep reading to find that out...

**Akai-sora**: I do own a laptop (which is currently well on its way to expiring), but it doesn't do me much good without an internet connection. And thanks for making me laugh in the midst of my stress!

**Sphyma**: Here's Ino's big role. As you can see, she won't be complicating things for anyone but poor Shino in the future.

**Blah...**: Things will become clear in the future. For now, let's just say that Itachi is awesome and can do whatever he wants, even if it denies logic...

So that's it for now. Let me know what you think of my attempt at a Shino-Ino pairing and if you would like to see it continued. If all goes as planned, I should be resuming my weekly Monday updates from here on out. As always, read and review!


	13. Chapter 12

Well, spring semester started today (joy). Actually, proper terminology should be 'is going to start' since my first class isn't for a few hours yet. Anyway, coming back to college apparently has not damaged my creativity,since this is my longest chapter to date. Also, I am proud to announce that Miru Hoshi has passed the 200 review mark! n.n

Disclaimer: Sasuke makes an important discovery. Oh wait...that's not the one I'm supposed to read. Ahem, I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Hinata slid open the door to the guestroom in which Sasuke was to be staying. As expected in the Hyuuga mansion, the room was immaculate, decorated in neutral shades of white and gray. The two stepped inside the room, leaving the door open behind them. Hinata glanced around at the sparse room, seeing it through the eyes of a visitor.

"It's quite plain," she said.

Sasuke slid open the closet door, glancing at the inside, then looked back at the Hyuuga.

"It is fine, Hinata. I'm used to these kinds of surroundings," he reassured her.

Just then, Hanabi poked her head through the doorway. She caught sight of Sasuke and an unholy gleam lit her pale eyes. She cast a small grin in her sister's direction, causing Hinata to go cold. She stepped forward to stop the teenager, but Hanabi spoke before she could be stopped.

"So, Hinata, you're bringing him home to meet the family already. Isn't that moving a little too fast?" she asked, expression blank.

Hinata fought back a blush as she hissed, "Hanabi!"

The young girl winked at her sister then turned her attention to the amused Uchiha.

"Good to meet you, Sasuke. Hurt my sister and I will make you regret the day you were born," with that threat, she gave him another small smile and left the room.

Hinata stared after her, fighting to gain control over her emotions…and the blush which stained her face. From behind her, she heard a choked sound which suspiciously resembled a stifled chuckle, but turned to find Sasuke as impassive as ever.

"Your sister is quite protective of you," he said.

Hinata shook her head, long hair falling into her face with the motion.

"Hanabi is overprotective. She thinks it is her duty to protect me from all harm, though I am quite capable of taking care of myself," she said softly.

Sasuke smiled at the contrast she presented. Her petite figure and gentle eyes completely belied her words about being able to protect herself. However, he had seen her prowess with his own eyes. The former Hyuuga heiress definitely deserved the elite rank of jounin. He glanced away from her then, a hint of sorrow entering those dark eyes.

"You're lucky, Hinata," he whispered.

The woman looked over at him, quickly realizing that he was referring to his own family.

"We aren't perfect, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. I didn't mean to make it sound that way," she said.

One corner of his thin lips lifted in a slight smile.

"I understood what you meant," he reassured her.

She took a few steps toward him, lavender eyes softened in genuine concern.

"We never thought about what it was like for you when we were growing up. Our parents didn't talk about it and you were just Uchiha Sasuke, the one every boy wanted to be and every girl wanted to be with," Hinata said apologetically.

He raised an eyebrow, not really wanting to discuss this with her.

"Every girl?" he asked.

She blushed and corrected, "_Almost_ every girl."

He turned away from her to hide his annoyance at the reminder.

"You had eyes only for the dobe," he said coolly.

"Naruto was my hero. He was even worse off than I was, having no family at all, yet he never let that discourage him. He knew what he wanted in life and he went for it, even if it did cause others to mock him. I wanted so much to have the same inner strength that he had. I confused my admiration for something more," she admitted.

The Uchiha turned back to her, eyes searching hers for answers to questions he had not even asked yet. He stepped closer to her and, for once, she held her ground without even considering becoming embarrassed.

"Why not me?" he asked.

He saw in the slight movement of her head that she wanted to look away from him, but she kept her eyes on his.

"I needed hope, Sasuke. The only thing you had to offer was revenge," she whispered.

Very quietly, he admitted, "I still don't have much to offer."

Hinata hesitated, considering his words. Was he speaking of having something to offer Konoha, or her? The heat she felt rushing to her face demanded that she believe the former. She offered him a smile.

"At least you are trying this time, Sasuke," she stated.

Just then, one of the branch family members stepped into the room.

"Hinata-sama," he greeted the woman with a bow before turning to Sasuke and asking, "Uchiha-san, your delivery has arrived. Do you wish us to bring it up now?"

The young man blinked at him, then nodded. The branch member hurried from the room.

"Isn't it strange having your family members serving you?" he asked.

"You get used to when it is how you've been raised. Actually, it's a lot better now than it used to be. Before Hanabi started changing the way the clan operated, I was always 'Hyuuga-sama,'" she said, smiling at the memory of Hanabi threatening branch members if they would not call her by her first name.

Sasuke looked dubious, but did not question her any further.

.oOo.oOo.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Hiashi accepted the Uchiha's presence without comment, though Hinata was relatively certain her younger sister had spoken with him. As for Hanabi, she had been too busy with her work to tease Hinata again.

As usual in the Hyuuga household, the evening meal was quiet. The head family, along with Sasuke, ate at the table at the front of the room while the branch families ate at several other tables placed in orderly lines along the other two walls of the room. Servants padded from the kitchen to the tables, working quickly and efficiently. Though he did not show it, Sasuke was rather overwhelmed by the opulence of the surroundings. He was relieved when it was at last time to retire to the guest room which had been prepared for him. He changed into a pair of baggy pajama pants, leaving his torso bare, and settled into an uneasy sleep on his futon.

.oOo.oOo.

Hinata had finished getting ready for bed and was brushing out her hair when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in," she called.

Neji slid open the door with one arm, his other arm filled with a tired little boy.

"He wanted to say goodnight to his obasan," he said with a smile.

He set Hinode on his feet and the boy toddled over to her. She set him in her lap, looking back up at her cousin. He was still smiling at his son, but Hinata saw sadness lurking in the depths of his clear silver eyes.

"Neji-" she started.

"Hinata-sama, the decision has already been made," he countered in his deep voice.

She frowned, holding the little boy closer to her.

"What about Asayake?" she asked.

His expression became carefully neutral, meaning that she had hurt him with that question.

"Please, Hinata-sama, don't make this any more difficult than it already is," he whispered.

She looked down and said, "I'm sorry, Neji-oniisan."

He nodded in acceptance, then instructed his son to say goodnight to his aunt. Hinode obediently reached up and kissed her on the cheek. His chubby little arms encircled what they could of her torso. Hinata hugged him back, tender heart aching at the thought of this little boy losing his father.

"Goodnight, Hinata-obasan," he said.

"Sleep well, Hinode-kun," she responded.

Neji picked him up carefully, pausing at the door. His expression assured her that he would be back later to talk with her. Hinata sighed, rising from her futon and taking a robe from her closet. She wrapped it around her petite form, then returned to the bed to wait for her cousin to return. About thirty minutes later, Neji stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. He sat down on the floor before her, putting them at roughly eye level. He folded his hands in his lap, meeting her eyes.

"What are your feelings toward the Uchiha?" he asked quietly.

Hinata blushed lightly, looking away from those piercing silver eyes. Neji frowned.

"So I thought. Hinata-sama, the Uchiha is not Naruto. He holds no loyalty to our village. You would only harm yourself by becoming involved with him," he said.

Hinata began to protest, but her cousin cut her off.

"No, I forbid it. You will remain strictly professional with him. Am I clear?" he asked.

The young woman gave him a defiant glance.

"You are not my father, Neji," she said.

"But I am your guardian," he stated inflexibly. His tone softened then and he continued, "Hinata-sama, I want only the best for you. The Uchiha is not it. Do you understand?"

He gently turned his cousin's face so that she was looking at him and he saw the tears glittering in her eyes.

"I understand, Neji-oniisan," she said.

His hand dropped to her shoulder and he squeezed it lightly, forcing a small smile for her sake.

"Don't settle, Hinata-sama. There are better men out there for you," he stated.

She nodded mutely and he rose, leaving the room. Hinata laid the robe across the foot of her bed and curled up under the covers. She lay awake long into the night, staring at the ceiling and worrying. She sat up at the sound of a soft knock at her window. Activating her Byakugan, she relaxed when she recognized Sasuke's chakra signature. The young woman stood, pulling her robe back around her shoulders as she went to open the window.

"Having trouble sleeping?" he asked quietly.

Hinata hesitated, then nodded.

"Want to come out and talk about it?" the Uchiha suggested.

Hinata hesitated again, recalling Neji's words, but she needed someone to talk to. She slid out the window, feeling Sasuke's hands steadying her even through the layers of fabric she wore. She led him over to a relatively flat part of the roof. They both stretched out and lay there silently gazing up at the stars. After a time, Hinata rolled over onto her side and blushed at finding Sasuke studying her.

"So, what is bothering you?" the soft question pulled her from her embarrassment.

"I'm worried that Neji is going to get hurt," she confessed.

His lips tilted up in a tiny smirk.

"He is a ninja. Getting injured is part of the job description," he said almost teasingly.

"Seriously hurt…leaving Tenten, Hinode, and Asayake alone," she said.

The Uchiha's expression sobered as he fought the urge to reach out for her. She looked so miserable, but he recalled the way she had hesitated before agreeing to come out here with him. If he moved too quickly, she would withdraw from him. He lay back on the roof, using his hands as a pillow for his head to prevent them from touching the young woman next to him. He settled for watching her from the corner of his eye.

"I think he and Tenten accepted that risk when they decided to start a family," he said.

Hinata frowned and responded, "I know that, Sasuke, it's just…every mission we have gone on, no matter how outmatched by our opponents we were, we always managed to return alive. Not one of the names of my friends has been engraved on the Memorial Stone. I always felt like we were invincible, but now Neji is headed into this mission certain that he is going to die."

"That is his mistake. If he expects to fail, then he certainly will," Sasuke said rather coldly.

Hinata studied his expression, then settled back into a reclining position. She stared blankly up at the stars. In the uncomfortable silence which followed, Sasuke glanced away from her and, when he looked back, he was surprised to find her crying silently. His heart twisted in his chest. Ignoring his mental warnings, he rose to his knees and pulled her against him. The Hyuuga struggled for a brief moment before giving in to the comfort he offered and going limp in his arms. Under any other circumstances, Sasuke would have been fixated on the feel of her silky hair and soft skin against his bare torso. However, right now he was more intent on slowing the tears which poured from Hinata's lavender eyes. The sight of her pain was doing strange things to his heart.

He was in love with her.

The realization made his onyx eyes widen. He had known before this that he was falling for her, but to realize that he—Uchiha Sasuke, the famous loner—had formed such a deep attachment so quickly…after the torture he had suffered under Orochimaru, he hadn't even been certain he was capable of loving someone. A small smile touched his lips as he rested his chin gently against the top of her head, holding her closer to him. He could stay like this for the rest of his life and be content.

She stiffened suddenly in his arms, then pulled away with more strength than he would have ascribed to her petite frame. He missed her soft warmth, but was more disturbed by the fact that she would not meet his eyes.

"This was a mistake," she whispered.

"Hinata-" he began, not considering the foolishness of confessing his newly-discovered feelings.

She stood, taking a step back toward her window.

"Please return to your room, Uchiha-san," she stated firmly.

She slipped back into her bedroom and closed the window behind her. Sasuke's surprised expression quickly melted into one of determination.

You won't escape me so easily, Hinata," he said.

.oOo.oOo.

The afternoon of the next day, Hinata was seated in the courtyard of the Hyuuga mansion. Neji was off training Hinode in an attempt to get the little boy's mind off his mother, who was still in the hospital since Sakura had wanted to keep an eye on both Tenten and Asayake. She heard the door behind her slide open and knew without looking that it was Sasuke. She had been avoiding him since their conversation last night. Even now, she did not turn to look at him. He ignored the fact that she obviously did not wish to speak with him and sat down next to her. She felt him study her profile for a long moment, but kept her lavender eyes fixed on the ground before her.

"Hinata, about last night-" Sasuke began.

"We will not speak of it," she interrupted, closing her eyes against the tears which stung them.

Neji wanted her to stay away from the Uchiha and, so soon after giving him her word, she had ended up in Sasuke's arms. Even worse was the fact that being there had felt so right, when she had been betraying her cousin's trust by allowing him to comfort her. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sasuke's eyes narrow at her dismissive tone.

"If I offended you, then I apologize," he tried again.

"You are forgiven, Uchiha-san," she said, hating herself for sounding so heartless.

He laid a hand on her arm, leaning closer. Hinata suddenly hoped he would take her in his arms again, but quickly shoved the traitorous longing to the back of her mind, stiffening instead.

"Release me," she demanded.

"No," his grip tightened as anger filled that one word.

Before he could react, Hinata lifted a chakra-infused hand and touched a pressure point on his arm before pulling the numb appendage from her own arm. She stood, moving away from him as his eyes flashed red with the Sharingan.

"You will refrain from touching me, Uchiha-san. This is a mission and nothing more to me," she stated.

Sasuke stood as well. It was obvious that her rejection had stung his pride. So be it, she would not be charmed into becoming one of his mindless fans.

"I thought we were friends," he growled.

"It was my mistake to allow you to develop that misconception. As I said, you are a mission and nothing else," she said calmly.

For a moment, she thought that the Uchiha was going to attack her. His Sharingan had activated and the black tomoe in them were spinning wildly. She held his gaze without showing a single emotion, ready to activate her own family technique should he take one step toward her. He grit his teeth, then the anger abruptly bled from him, leaving his eyes their usual blank onyx instead of the fiery ruby of the Sharingan.

"Very well, Hyuuga-san. Forgive me for intruding," he stated, tone as vacant as his expression.

Hinata watched him as he turned and went back into the mansion, closing the door firmly behind him. Some time passed before she returned to her seat on the steps, refusing to allow tears to again slip from her eyes. It had been the right thing to do, she was sure of it, but never had the right thing hurt so much.

* * *

And now, the time to answer reviews.

**Sleepysheep:** But Ino has changed. She isn't quite the same annoying person she was when she was younger. Anyway, that is probably going to be the only mention of the pairing in this fic,since they will be getting their own story. You can just ignore that story since you don't like the pairing. n.n

**Show.me.the.stars**: No problem! I'm glad you're reading it now. n.n

**Jjayno1:** She wouldn't be Ino if she didn't go too fast. Maybe one day she'll learn better...but that was not the day.

**Blah...:** O.o They can't do that!!! I think I'm going to go curl up in a corner and cry now. Poor Itachi...

**Alewey2:** Well, she just told him that her love life is horrible right now. He is trying to offer her advice when she suddenly starts flirting with him. Now, Shino has a bit of a crush on her, so he doesn't object to that. However, when she touches him, she is repulsed and pulls away. It was the reaction he figured she would have, but he was still hoping that maybe she would be different. So he decides to pull away before she hurts him even more, only for her to suddenly kiss him. Shino figures that she is rebounding from the other men and using him since he is currently the nearest male. Thus, his conclusion that she was toying with him. Does that make sense now?

Everyone else, thanks for your compliments! I'm glad to see that I convinced a few of you that the Shino-Ino pairing is plausible. As I mentioned, I'll be starting a separate story for those two and I already have many cruel plans to torture Shino. n.n I'm planning on starting that story after I finish Miru Hoshi, but I may get impatient and start it sooner. Depends on how busy I am this semester.

As always, read and review! I love getting your feedback!


	14. Chapter 13

Hello, my faithful readers! I'm afraid I have some bad news for you guys. So far, this semester has been a LOT more busy...busier? than my first one and this update is the last of my buffer chapters. As always, I'm going to try my hardest to have a chapter for you every Monday, but I honestly can't promise anything. My schoolwork has to come before my writing right now...unfortunately. Anyhow, now that I've depressed you guys with that news, enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: When people look at my drawings the typical reaction is: 'Nice...what is it supposed to be?' Therefore, such a well-drawn manga/anime as Naruto is obviously not mine.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen 

Neji stood in a defensive position, facing his opponent. His silver eyes were intense, but his Byakugan remained inactivated. Long sleeves fell over his hands to cushion his blocks. He stood still as the one facing him stepped forward to attack, then lifted a hand to block the blow. His opponent's chakra dispersed against his skin, too unfocused to penetrate the protective layer.

"Pay attention to what you are doing," he instructed.

His opponent frowned, eyes narrowing in concentration. This time, Neji saw chakra flicker around his hands as he brought one forward in a blow. It struck the Hyuuga male's arm and he felt as bit of the chakra enter his own system, though not enough to do any damage. His opponent, however, seemed not to notice his success and did not even draw back his hand. Neji twisted his hand to catch the small wrist of his opponent and dropped to his knees, looking down into silver eyes so like his own. He used his hold on the boy's wrist to tug him closer.

"What is wrong, Hinode?" he asked.

The little boy's lip quivered.

"I'm worried about okaasan and Saya-chan," he admitted.

Neji smiled at his son, eyes gentle. He had taken Hinode to the hospital that morning in hopes of relieving his fears, but apparently it had not helped. Tenten had warned him that their sensitive son would not do well seeing his mother in a hospital bed. Neji should have listened to her. When Hinode's eyes filled with tears, he pulled the boy onto his lap and let him cry into his shirt. As he stroked the boy's dark brown hair, Neji felt tears coming to his own eyes. Would this be his last chance to comfort his son? The man blinked his tears away and tilted Hinode's chin up. He used the edge of his over-long sleeve to wipe away the little boy's tears.

"Your okaasan and Asayake will be fine, I promise," he said.

Hinode nodded, appearing comforted by this statement. He was still of the age to believe that his father could do anything. Neji thought that he would give anything to see his eldest as a rebellious teenager. As nervous as he had been when Tenten was pregnant, he had since realized that becoming a father was one of the most fulfilling things he had ever done. He wanted to see both his children grown. He wouldn't even mind becoming a grandfather. He certainly didn't want to die while both of his children were still so young! But…the Hokage had commanded him and he was a ninja long before he was a father.

Neji suddenly stiffened, turning his head toward where the courtyard lay. He had sensed Hinata's chakra signature heightening to a battle-ready state. He activated his Byakugan to see Hinata standing by the steps while the Uchiha was heading back into the house. Even from this distance, he could tell that his cousin was upset. He blinked and his eyes returned to normal. Neji looked at his son.

"Hinode, I need you to go find Hanabi-obasan and stay with her for a while, all right?" he said.

Catching his father's sudden seriousness, the little boy quietly rose and padded from the training room. Neji waited a moment before following his son out of the building. He found Hinata sitting on the steps outside the main house, her face as inscrutable as if she was wearing her ANBU mask. He sat down next to her, protective instincts rising.

"What did the Uchiha say to you, Hinata-sama?" he demanded.

He thought he heard a muffled sob break from her throat, but her expression remained closed to his scrutiny. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Hinata, tell me what is wrong," he urged.

"It isn't Sasuke. It's me…" she said, "I did what you told me to do and I…I hurt him, Neji-oniisan. I feel so horrible."

Her mask crumpled then and, just as he had done a few minutes earlier with his son, Neji held his cousin against him as she wept. When her tears, ended, he pushed her back so that he could meet her gaze. His own expression was chagrinned.

"So much for the all-seeing eyes of the Hyuuga clan's prodigy," he said wryly, "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

"I don't know," she whispered.

He sighed, admitting defeat. He had tried fighting against love once before and ended up happily married with two children. He might not have been able to see what was right in front of him, but he was genius enough to realize when he was beaten and surrender gracefully rather than fight a losing battle. The man stood up, meeting his cousin's confused look.

"I still don't think he is right for you, Hinata-sama, but I will go speak with him," he held up a hand to forestall her protest, "Would you rather I send your father?"

"It isn't that serious yet, Neji-oniisan," Hinata tried.

"Yet," he repeated, daring to offer her a slight smile despite his misgivings.

With that, he left the young woman sitting on the front steps and went in search of Sasuke. He found the other man in his room. The Uchiha sat in a meditative pose, eyes closed, but Neji was not fooled. He could tell that Sasuke was more upset than he had ever seen him. He slid the door shut and went to kneel opposite the other man.

"What is going on between you and my cousin?" he asked.

"The onyx eyes opened to study him.

"Absolutely nothing," Sasuke stated.

Neji raised an eyebrow, resting his hands on his knees. Was that a hint of bitterness he heard in the Uchiha's tone?

"But you want there to be?" he pressed.

"You need not worry, Hyuuga. Hinata sees me as no more than a mission to complete," Sasuke said, again closing his eyes.

Yes, there was definitely bitterness behind that stoic mask. The fact that Sasuke cared enough about his cousin to let that much emotion to show through his strong shields did much to ease Neji's fears, though he still did not move. He hesitated a moment, not really wanting to push this man toward his charge. However, the memory of Hinata's forlorn expression urged him on.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Uchiha," he said.

Sasuke's eyes opened in surprise before he mastered himself and resumed his expression of indifference. It was too late, though, for Neji had caught his bewilderment. The Hyuuga male stood and took a step toward the door. He paused, glancing back at the kneeling man.

"You obviously care for my cousin, as she does for you…" he took a deep breath, "Promise me that you will take care of her, Uchiha."

Sasuke searched his silver eyes for the truth of his words, then nodded. Neji turned and left the room, leaving the Uchiha to absorb everything that had been said. He also did not want the other man to see how close Neji was to losing control of his emotions. He took an unsteady breath. Everything was taken care of now. Hinata would look after his family and Sasuke would look after Hinata.

.oOo.oOo.

Naruto looked up from his large stack of paperwork as the door to his office slid open. A wide grin was instantly upon his face at the sight of Hinata stepping through the doorway. Then, their eyes met and his smile died, for her lavender eyes were cold.

"We need to talk, Naruto-kun," she said.

The blond Hokage closed the folder he had been poring over, directing all his attention toward his long-time friend and advisor.

"What do you need, Hinata-chan?" he asked.

"It's about Neji. As you know, his daughter was born yesterday. With Sasuke and me in the Hyuuga mansion, his mission should not be such a high priority. He should have more time with his family before you send him to the Uchiha compound," she said. When Naruto hesitated, she added, "Itachi's room has been sealed for years. Leaving it that way a short while longer will not harm anything."

The Hokage absent-mindedly straightened a pile of folders that was leaning precariously to one side while considering his reply. When at last he lifted sapphire eyes to his friend, his stern features had softened ever so slightly.

"All right, Hinata-chan. You were the one who called my attention to Itachi's room, so I will follow your lead in this. I will delay the mission two weeks, but no more. Whatever Uchiha Itachi left in that room is a danger to my village. Now that I know about it, it is my duty as Hokage to see the threat eliminated before it can harm my people," he said.

Hinata nodded and said, "Sounds fair enough."

She turned and slid open the door to the room, coming face to face with none other than Yamanaka Ino. Hinata tensed in preparation for a verbal assault but, to her surprise, the lovely blond just smiled at her.

"Hello, Hinata-san!" she said, stepping past her into the office.

The Hyuuga frowned, wondering at Ino's sudden attitude change. She walked into the hallway, slowly shutting the door behind her.

"Now is a really bad time for a mission," she heard Ino say before the door closed completely.

Hinata frowned, wondering, _'Is it a bad time because she is in the middle of pursuing Sasuke? But then, why was she so nice to me just now? Maybe she_ _is trying to get me to lower my guard.'_

Hinata quickly shook the thoughts off as paranoid, returning her mind to the reason why she had spoken with Naruto. She had two weeks now to decide what to do about the elder Uchiha's room. Two weeks to determine how to save Neji.

* * *

Drat, I've done it now. Last chapter was an attempt to make you guys hate Neji, but overall I seem to have only caused disappointment. Now he had to go and ruin it this chapter by realizing that he made a mistake. Now how am I ever going to be able to kill him off? n.n Oh well, on to the reviews!

**TimDrakeFanatic:** Weeeeelllll, you see, I'm not really good at writing fight scenes and that's why I've been avoiding them. However, the closer we get to the end of the story, the more action-packed things are going to become. Just a few more chapters until things start escalating and the action really begins.

**Show.me.the.stars:** Neji's just being an overprotective older brother type. He was judging Sasuke merely by his past and not by what he is becoming. However, he's gotten over it and realized that he was just hurting Hinata rather than helping her.

**Toni:** Actually, that sounds like something Naruto would do, or maybe Kiba (if I would let the poor guy actually get a girl). If Sasuke tried it, the idea would totally backfire on him. Hinata has just barely admitted her feelings for Sasuke and she has no idea that he feels the same way. If he showed interest in someone else, she would back off and make herself forget about him. She's too sweet to get jealous.

**Moirah:** Awww, thank you.Your encouragement inspires me to keep plugging away at this story.

**Why is th RUM always gone:** Hah! I love your pen name! Jack Sparrow all the way. n.n

**Awesome Ninja:** You are indeed awesome. n.n Congrats for catching that. This past chapter, along with the scene at Sasuke's house where Hinata and Sasuke start to become friends, are two main reasons I named this story Miru Hoshi, or Star-gazing. There is at least one other scene I have planned that makes reference to the title, but I may be surprised with more as the story continues.

Everyone, thank you for your encouragement for me to update! It makes me want to try really hard to keep on schedule. Believe it!

As always, please take the time to leave a review. It helps put a smile on my face even when I'm stressed out from my day and makes me want to write. Thanks!!


	15. Chapter 14

Happy MLK Jr. Day! I'm so proud of myself! I actually managed to finish this chapter Saturday night. Of course, that was mainly thanks to a snow day on Thursday. I apologize beforehand to those of you who were hoping for a reconciliation in this chapter. I was too, but Sasuke and Hinata just wouldn't cooperate with me.Still, it makes for some interesting times and a bit of action in this chapter. Hope everyone enjoys!

Disclaimer: You know what, I'm glad I don't own Naruto. This way, I don't have all these other writers out there saying, 'I wish _**I'D**_ come up with that.' Instead, I can be part of the crowd rather than the lone genius. n.n

* * *

Chapter Fourteen 

Sasuke was waiting in the courtyard when Hinata returned. He had opened his mouth to offer her another apology for whatever he had done to upset her when he noticed that someone else was with her. The red tattoos on his cheeks marked her companion as Inuzuka Kiba, one of her former teammates. The male had one arm draped around Hinata's slender shoulders. He said something to her, causing her to laugh. Sasuke glared at Kiba in a moment of weakness. Unfortunately, it was at that exact moment that the other male turned his head and their eyes locked. The Inuzuka shot him an insolent grin, dropping his arm to Hinata's waist and tugging her closer. Hinata playfully elbowed him in the ribs as she drew away, lifting her head. Her lavender eyes met Sasuke's intense onyx ones and her smile died. She lifted her chin, turning back to Kiba.

"See you later, Kiba-kun," she said.

She allowed him to hug her, whispering something in her ear, before she went into the mansion, completely ignoring Sasuke. When the door began to slide shut behind her, the Uchiha started toward it. Kiba suddenly blocked the way; his easy-going attitude had vanished as he met Sasuke's anger head-on.

"Stay away from Hinata," he growled.

"Don't presume to order around your betters, Inuzuka. I will do as I like with Hinata," Sasuke responded arrogantly.

Kiba fisted a hand in the front of Sasuke's shirt, all but snarling at the Uchiha.

"I'll tear you to pieces if I ever catch your scent on her," he threatened.

Sasuke gave him a contemptuous smirk before gracefully slipping from his grasp.

"You could certainly try," he said.

Kiba growled low in his throat, a sound that was echoed as a huge dog stalked through the gate. It took a moment, but Sasuke was able to place the hulking creature as Akamaru, Kiba's canine companion.

The Inuzuka formed a few hands signs, muttering quietly, "Shikakyu no jutsu."

Akamaru began to transform into a more human form, while Kiba became more dog-like in his appearance. Sasuke barely restrained himself from shaking his head. This technique took far too much time. With very little concentration, he pulled chakra into his hand. In no time at all, the signature chirping of Chidori filled the air. He decided he had given the other male plenty of time to prepare himself and leapt forward to attack. Transformation complete, Kiba shouted, "Gatsuuga!"

'_Still using that attack?' _Sasuke thought contemptuously.

This would be too easy. He suddenly felt a hand lock around his wrist, jerking him to a halt. His Chidori faded into nothing but a stray spark as the person who had grabbed him absorbed the chakra. His shocked eyes rested on a head of long, midnight-blue hair then moved down to meet infuriated lavender eyes. Just beyond her slender form, he could see the dazed figures of Kiba and Akamaru rising to their feet. His eyes returned to Hinata, amazed by what she had just done. Although he had not been attacking with the intent to kill, Chidori was not a technique that could be stopped by a normal jounin…and certainly not at the same time as Kiba's often-used but still powerful Gatsuuga. Just what rank was this woman? Before he could ask, she released his wrist and turned on her former teammate.

"Ah, Hinata…" he tried, lifting his hands as though to ward off an attack.

"Leave, Kiba," she said coldly.

The Inuzuka male hesitated, obviously wanting to defend his actions, but something in his long-time friend's eyes must have convinced him otherwise. With one last glare at Sasuke, Kiba dusted himself off and slunk from the courtyard. Hinata patted Akamaru's shaggy head before sending him off after his master. When the two were out of sight, Hinata turned back to the door of the mansion, her frame tense with restrained anger. Unlike Kiba, though, Sasuke was not about to back down from speaking with her. His eyes narrowed and he went after the woman.

"Hinata," he said, catching the door as she was closing it in his face.

She didn't answer, instead continuing down the hallway. Sasuke was ready to force her to look at him, but he remembered his experience that morning and restrained himself. However, that in no way meant he had gotten a grasp on his frustration.

"Hinata," he tried again.

When she still ignored him, his eyes flashed crimson.

"You'll talk to that Inuzuka, but not to me?" he asked angrily.

She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, lavender eyes still smoldering.

"I can tell Kiba to leave. You, unfortunately, I am stuck with," she said cuttingly.

Sasuke's scowl deepened and he was about to respond in kind when he realized how foolish he was being. Yes, she was mad at him—and with good reason—but he was now giving her a reason to **stay** angry with him. His eyes faded back to onyx as he sighed.

"Again, I apologize, Hinata-" he started.

Her petite frame stiffened.

"You apologize?! You were using Chidori on one of Konoha's ninja. The Hokage should have you imprisoned for this, Sasuke!" she exclaimed.

The Uchiha hid a smile, knowing it wouldn't help his case if she saw it. Despite her harsh tone, she had called him by his given name. He recalled Neji's earlier words: _'You obviously care for my cousin, as she does for you.'_ For the first time that day, he felt a sense of hope. He walked closer to her.

"I'm sorry, Hinata. I was being a fool," he admitted softly.

The young woman turned to face him, expression softening when she saw that he really meant this apology. As much as she wanted to, she just couldn't stay angry with the Uchiha.

"So, Neji said he was going to talk to you," she half-asked, half-stated.

"Yes," Sasuke said, relaxing slightly, "We did talk, if you can call it a conversation. He wants me to…take care of you."

She shook her head.

"That is very like Neji. However, you need not worry, Uchiha-san. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself," Hinata said.

'_Back to "Uchiha-san" again,'_ he thought with some annoyance.

"I gave your cousin my word," he said.

She lifted her chin, a spark of anger resurfacing in her pale eyes as she said, "That will not be necessary. I am not weak."

"I never even suggested that," Sasuke's tone rose a notch in frustration, "Are you refusing my help because of the way your father treated you when you were a child?"

Hinata stiffened and her eyes narrowed, a sure sign that he had made a mistake in saying what he had.

"Do not bring my family into this, Uchiha-san," she said, soft voice like the calm before a raging storm.

Sasuke had forgotten his earlier admonition not to provoke Hinata. His onyx eyes flashed red for a brief moment as he responded to her remark, "Your family brought **me** into this. Neji is the one who told me to protect you and I intend to do so," he said, "You are a strong ninja, Hinata, but you cannot do all this alone. Don't let the way your family treated you when you were younger keep you from accepting my help."

"This has nothing to do with my childhood," Hinata said.

"You are a true Hyuuga, aren't you? You're all stubborn, prideful fools," Sasuke scowled at her as he spoke.

"We are no worse than the Uchiha were," the young woman shot back before turning and stalking down the hallway.

Sasuke was ready to go after her again when a sad voice came from behind him, "Let her go calm down, Uchiha-san. You were prodding at an open wound just now."

He turned to find Hyuuga Hiashi watching him, the sorrow in the older man's silver eyes showing that he had heard the entire argument. He stepped back from the doorway in which he was standing, motioning for Sasuke to come inside.

"Please enter. I wish to speak with you," the Hyuuga clan head stated.

Sasuke stepped into the man's study. Hiashi waited until they were both comfortably settled before motioning to a pot on the low table next to him.

"Would you like tea, Uchiha-san?" he asked.

The young man shook his head, waiting for his host to get to the reason he had wanted to speak with him. Hiashi poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip of the steaming liquid, then set it aside. He folded his hands in his lap, looking strangely hesitant.

"If there was one thing in the world I could change, it would be the way I treated my daughter," he said softly.

"If you feel so guilty about it, why did you treat her like that in the first place?" Sasuke asked with his usual lack of tact."

Hiashi sighed, "She reminded me too much of what I had lost. While Hanabi was obviously my daughter, Hinata was so like her mother in looks and temperament. I thought that…if I could change her into me, I wouldn't have to see my wife every time I looked at her. And, if I made her as strong as I was, I wouldn't have to worry about losing her like I lost Harue. When that didn't work, I distanced myself from her. You were right in your earlier description of **this **Hyuuga at least. I was a fool, too focused on what I had lost to see the value of what was right in front of me."

Sasuke stood, having heard enough of the clan head's self-absorbed whining.

"If you realize this, why are you still ignoring her?" he asked.

Hiashi hung his head in shame.

"My daughter is strong now, stronger than I ever hoped she would be. She doesn't need me anymore," he admitted.

The Uchiha actually glared at Hiashi. He turned to leave the room, but stopped with one hand on the door. He spoke without looking back, voice level but eyes shimmering with emotion.

"No matter how strong a person is, they will never stop needing their family," he stated, leaving the room.

Sasuke made it back to the safety of his room before he was assailed by memories he had pushed away so many years ago.

**FLASHBACK**

"_Itachi," Sasuke called hesitantly._

_The newly-made chuunin looked up from putting his shoes on._

"_What is it?" he asked._

_Sasuke's dark eyes dropped to the weapons pouch strapped to his brother's leg, then back up to Itachi's face._

"_Are you going out to train?" he asked._

_Itachi eyed him a moment, obviously knowing what Sasuke's next question would be. He lifted a hand, motioning the boy toward him. Sasuke came forward obediently, inwardly tensing in expectation of a poke in the forehead._

"_Hurry and grab your shuriken," Itachi instructed instead._

_Sasuke's eyes lit up and he raced back to his room. He was all but bouncing in excitement as the two brothers made their way to the training area. Itachi eyed him with amusement._

"_You're going to waste all your energy before we even start," he chided._

_The boy settled down, though he was still smiling broadly. He was getting the chance to train with his idolized older brother! He watched in anticipation as Itachi set up targets in the midst of a forest clearing. Sharingan activated, he scanned the clearing, then blindfolded himself. Sasuke held his breath as the older boy pulled eight shuriken from his pouch. He released them with a whirl and they each thudded into the center of the target at which they were aimed._

"_That was amazing. I want to try!" Sasuke said, joining his brother in the center of the clearing._

_Imitating Itachi, he scanned the clearing and tried to memorize where each of the targets was placed. His older brother indulgently blindfolded him, then stepped out of the way. Sasuke pulled out his shuriken and wildly threw them at where he thought the targets were. Itachi's eyes widened and he ducked as one sliced through where his head had been only a moment before. His gaze was drawn back to his little brother as the boy let out a cry. He found Sasuke collapsed on the grass, holding his wrist. He pulled the blindfold off, finding the little boy's dark eyes shining with tears._

"_I slipped on the grass and landed on my hand," he whimpered._

_Itachi gently prodded at the wounded appendage._

"_Can you move it?" he asked._

_Sasuke's hand twitched before he whimpered and clutched it closer to his chest. Itachi carefully ruffled his brother's spiky hair before using the blindfold and a stick as a temporary splint._

"_It's only sprained. You'll be fine in a few days," he comforted him, "Come on, let's get you home."_

"_Wh-what about your training?" Sasuke asked, raising his head._

"_It'll wait," Itachi assured him, helping the boy to his feet._

"_Will I ever be as good as you, aniki?" he asked._

"_You actually didn't do too badly, considering you haven't activated your Sharingan yet," the chuunin encouraged him, pointing to two targets that had shuriken embedded in their outermost ring._

_Sasuke smiled slightly at this. He wasn't as good as Itachi yet, but his brother was proud of his effort. And one day, he was sure he would finally be Itachi's equal._

**FLASHBACK**

Sasuke frowned at the memory. Those had been the good times, before he noticed how much their father doted on Itachi, before his brother entered ANBU and began to change. He had grown to be as powerful as Itachi, had in fact grown powerful enough to defeat him. But, as much as he hated to admit it, there was a part of him that still longed for a pat on the head from his older brother, or even a poke on the forehead as Itachi told him he was too busy. He had told Hiashi the truth earlier. No matter how strong a person was, they still needed their family—even if that family had murdered the rest of their clan and met their end at the hand of the one who needed them so desperately.

* * *

Let's see...first off a description of the jutsus I used. Shikakyu no jutsu is the technique Kiba uses to transform Akamaru into a replica of himself. Gatsuuga is the technique where the two of them form that little hurricane-type thing and go after their opponent. Technically, Kiba is supposed to take a soldier pill to make the attack stronger, but Sasuke didn't give him enough time. Lastly, Chidori is Kakashi's only original technique. He taught it to Sasuke in an attempt to keep him from going to Orochimaru for power. Anyway, it's basically this unstoppable ball of chakra lightning. 

Secondly, I kinda broke my tradition with the name of Hiashi's wife. As far as I know, her name is not known, so I had to come up with one. While Harue does start with an h, it's meaning has nothing to do with the sun as do the rest of them. If I remember correctly, it means 'spring branch' or something like that.

Thirdly, don't bother looking in the manga or the anime for the flashback scene in this chapter. I made it up, going by the Itachi-Sasuke relationship we saw in Sasuke's memories during his fight with Naruto at the Valley of the End. In my opinion, Itachi was a good older brother until he joined ANBU and his views got all screwed up.

Fourthly, time to answer reviews!

**Show.me.the.stars:** -grins- Oh, yes, Ino is definitely plotting something. Shino doesn't stand a chance. However, that is not for you to find out in this story. n.n

**Sphyma:** Wow, my first reviewer who actually wants to see Neji killed. As for Itachi's room...well, you'll find out in three or four more chapters, I think, unless the characters keep stealing my keyboard.

**Hinataaa:** I hope you're feeling better! And your reviews don't get boring. After all, what kind of writer would I be if I didn't enjoy having my ego stroked? n.n Thank you for taking the time to review every chapter!!

**Akai-sora:** I love snow...especially when it makes the higher-ups cancel classes and gives me a whole day to work on my story. n.n

**Salote:** As you can probably tell by this chapter, Hinata doesn't accept help very graciously, at least not when it comes to her skills as a ninja. She doesn't want anyone to consider her weak, so she pushes herself as hard as she can to surpass every expectation of her.

HUZZAH!!! ONLY SEVEN REVIEWS AWAY FROM THE 300 MARK!!!! -celebrates- Thanks, guys! Keep the reviews coming!


	16. ANNOUNCEMENT

Hey, everyone! I'm sorry to say that I have bad news for you. I had four tests last week and absolutely no time to write a chapter. This week my load is a little lighter, so updates should resume next week.

As a peace offering, I have two one-shots I've been working on. The first one should be on my profile later today and the second should be up later this week. The first one is a non-massacre AU starring, of course, Sasuke and Hinata. This one is more action-oriented. It's tentatively titled _Stutter and All_.

The second one is also an AU, starring none other than Itachi! It was inspired by one of those ads on the bottom of the page when you're reading a story on Fanfiction. The only part of the ad that I caught was the words 'Uchiha Itachi: Cheap.' Of course my brain then proceeded to go off on tangents of how to incorporate that into a story…and the result should be amusing if nothing else.

Please check out these two one-shots. Again, I'm really sorry that there is no chapter, but I still have not perfected my duplication machine, so there is only one of me to do all my college work AND write my story. Look for a new chapter next Monday!


	17. Chapter 15

Hello, my faithful readers/new readers! I'm back with a new chapter! I apologize if it's a little short, but it has some pretty significant moments in it. Without further ado...here it is!

Disclaimer: Of course I own Naruto. That's why I'm sitting here writing stories that I don't get paid for when I could be drawing manga that WILL earn money. Silly of me, isn't it?

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

Hinata opened the door to her room to find Neji waiting for her. She gave him an annoyed glance, but he met it with his usual aplomb. With a resigned sigh, she joined him on the mat, folding her arms in from of her to show how unhappy she was with her cousin's interference.

"What do you think you are doing?" Neji asked.

"Talking to you apparently," she responded, being deliberately obtuse.

The Hyuuga prodigy frowned at her stubborn refusal to address what he had been asking.

"You are in love with the Uchiha. Why are you fighting it so hard?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow in imitation of his own questioning expression.

"You are encouraging this relationship now?" she asked.

Neji frowned at his cousin, displeased by the question. The truth was that encouraging Hinata toward the traitor was the last thing he wanted to do. But…

"You were miserable," he said quietly.

Her lavender eyes flashed with irritation.

"Make up your mind, oniisan. I was trying to make _you_ happy," Hinata said.

Neji tensed and responded tightly, "I was wrong. Maybe for once in your life you should make yourself happy rather than bend to what everyone else expects of you."

"What do you think I've been doing? Why would I be an ANBU captain if it wasn't what_I_ wanted to do?" she asked.

"Because Hiashi-sama expects no less from one of his children," Neji said flatly.

Hinata stood to her feet, petite frame trembling with barely-suppressed rage.

"Why does everyone keep blaming everything on my father? Do you think so little of me as to believe I cannot decide on my own actions or feelings? My father has _never_ cared enough about me for me to allow his opinions to influence my choices," she hissed, turning to stalk from her room.

The only problem was that Hiashi was standing in the doorway, his stricken gaze fixed on his eldest daughter. She faltered for a minute before lifting her chin.

"May I help you, Otousan?" she asked.

Hinata thought she was ready for any response from her father—anger, disdain, indifference—but apparently her father still held the ability to shock her. For the second time in his life, Neji was able to witness the sight of the proud Hyuuga clan head prostrating himself on the floor.

"Forgive me, Hinata. I was such a fool for treating you the way I did," Hiashi said.

The young woman instinctively glanced toward her guardian. In her eyes, Neji saw mingled shock and wariness at her father's sudden change of heart. Something changed in those lavender depths. He stepped forward, but his hand closed over empty space. She was running.

.oOo.oOo.

Naruto found Hinata sitting on one of the benches at the top of the Hokage monument. Her legs were drawn up to her chin and her arms were wrapped around them. In her eyes, he saw uncharacteristic vulnerability. Carefully, as one might move toward a frightened animal, he approached and sat down next to her.

"Ne…Hinata-chan," he said after a moment.

She sighed, closing her eyes as the wind played with her long hair.

"I know I shouldn't have run, but…I wasn't ready. Most of my life, I've known nothing but scorn from him. Even now that I'm fulfilling his expectations, he's been content to allow us to go out separate ways. How was I supposed to react to him suddenly pleading for my forgiveness? Can I even trust him anymore after how he has treated me?" she asked softly.

The Hokage responded with a question of his own, "How did Neji react when the uncle he had hated for so long for killing his father begged for _his_ forgiveness?"

Hinata's brow furrowed.

In time, he forgave otousan," she said.

Naruto nodded, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head, turning the upper half of her body to meet his gaze.

"So, how do you think you should react?" he prodded.

She smiled wryly, shrugging his hand off her shoulder.

"All right, Naruto-kun. I get it. Now stop lecturing me. I'm supposed to be_your_ advisor after all," she said.

"But I'm _your_ Hokage," the blond responded with a cheerful grin.

She smiled back, then quite suddenly she was hugging him.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

He returned the embrace for a moment before gently pushing her away.

"You're welcome, Hinata-chan, but you had better stop that before Sasuke gets jealous," he teased.

The young woman hesitated uncertainly.

"So you're still sure about this?" she asked.

Naruto's smile softened.

"If anyone can bring his heart back to Konoha, it is you," he said.

Hinata sighed, standing to her feet.

"Well, then, I guess I should go apologize to him for the way I've been acting lately," she said.

Naruto watched her until she reached the village, vanishing amongst the shops and houses. He rose and adjusted the hat of the Hokage, smile fading.

"I wish things had worked out between us, Hinata. You have grown into an amazing woman," he whispered.

The wind tore the words from his mouth, scattering them to the four corners of the earth, and Naruto was glad. He had a duty to his village to fulfill…and no place in his heart for any regrets.

.oOo.oOo.

He was not brooding. Or so Sasuke told himself for what seemed the hundredth time. There was no way he would allow a woman to affect him so easily. It had only been a few days, yet now the world seemed empty and colorless.

'_It's this place. No wonder the Hyuuga are so emotionless living in this monotonous place,'_ he thought.

Though, with her midnight blue hair and lavender eyes, Hinata was certainly not drab. She held a subtle beauty that, although it paled against Sakura's pink hair and emerald eyes, was even more striking to Sasuke. In a way, she reminded him of his mother. He quickly cut off that train of thought. He was trying to get his mind off Hinata after her, in an attempt to prove to himself that he was not brooding. There was a gentle knock on the door and he lifted his head.

"Come in," he called.

When it slid aside to reveal Hinata's slender frame, his heart suddenly pounded into overtime. To hide the way his heart had leaped at the sight of her, even after her harsh rejection of him earlier that day, he scowled at the woman instead.

"What do you want, Hyuuga-san?" he asked coolly.

Her shoulders lifted in a sigh, then she stepped further into his room and shut the door behind her. Sasuke watched her, onyx eyes revealing nothing, as she came to sit in front of him. Her gaze dropped to her lap and she poked her fingertips together in a rare display of nerves.

"Sasuke," she said quietly.

He felt his heart melt when she peeked up at him through her bangs.

"I am sorry for the way I have been acting. It was inexcusably rude of me," she said.

Sasuke's pounding heart plunged to a halt. She was only apologizing for being rude? She did not want to restore their friendship? Still, she had called him by his given name. That had to count for something.

"Nothing to apologize for…Hinata. I shouldn't have provoked your teammate," he said cautiously.

To his relief, she smiled back at him.

"You shouldn't have used to Chidori either, though I understand how irritating Kiba can be at times. Still, I can't help but love him," she said.

Sasuke's heart died another swift death. She was in love with Kiba? That would explain the Inuzuka's protectiveness, but…Kiba? If Naruto had been the one to gain her heart, then Sasuke would have stood aside, but dog boy was in for a rude awakening if he thought Hinata was his. His scowl had been darkening this entire time, causing Hinata to give him a strange look.

"You love Kiba?" he said lowly.

"Of course. He and Shino are like my brothers," she said.

Sasuke instantly relaxed.

"I see," he said.

Hinata frowned slightly, clearly wondering what in the world was the matter with him. When he only smiled at her, she shook her head and reached forward, grabbing one of his hands.

"Come with me," she said, rising easily to her feet and pulling him after her.

With his long stride, he easily caught up with her, then matched his strides to hers. His heart was in his throat at the fact that she had not pulled her hand from his. Another smile touched his lips as he admitted to himself that he had missed this, missed _her_. He had fallen hard and fast for the petite Hyuuga and, right now, he couldn't find any problem with that fact. She led him out the back of the Hyuuga mansion, into a tiny garden that he had had no idea even existed. Hinata pulled him through the sheltering leaves of a willow tree, halting at the side of a calm pond. She released his hand then and he missed her warmth almost immediately. Her lavender gaze was directed out into the water, a sad smile on her face.

"This was my mother's favorite place. She used to bring me here all the time before she passed away. I thought you would enjoy it too. If you get tired of staying in your room, you can come out here," she offered.

Sasuke nodded, eyes on Hinata's profile.

"I would like that," he said quietly.

Unbeknownst to the couple, they were being watched by a pair of disapproving eyes.

* * *

Meh, I'm afraid that Sasuke was OOC. I was in a rather silly mood when writing the last part, so it seems spaztic to me, but hopefully you didn't think so. Anyway, here is the part of the chapter where I respond to reviews. By the way, MIRU HOSHI HAS 139 REVIEWS!!!!!!! Ahem, anyway...

**Akai-sora**: I'm sorry you feel unloved! But I need more plot development before it comes time for Mission Impossible. It is coming though, so just hold on!

**Gwertygaz1213/Show.me.the.stars:** There will actually be no more ShIno moments in Miru Hoshi, since the two of them left Konoha to go on a mission last chapter. I'll be posting their story when I finish this one. You'll find out then what Ino is planning for the poor Aburame. n.n

**Shortey:** Sasuke is older in this fic and I'm operating on the assumption that he has learned more manners since his 'hn' days. n.n

**Everyone who said the last chapter was too short:** Well, last chapter was actually the second-longest one I've written for this story, so I'm sorry if it seemed short. I guess I should take it as a compliment that you guys were so caught up in the story. n.n

As always, let me know what you guys thought! I'm going to try my hardest to have a chapter ready next week too. If you have time, check out my other short stories: _Stutter and All_ and _Uchiha Itachi: Cheap_!


	18. Chapter 16

Here is chapter sixteen! It's quite short, but I'm not entirely sure why that is. It seemed really long when I was writing it. Anyway, this was originally written as chapter seven, before I decided that it was way too early for the events which take place in this chapter. So here it is, almost ten chapters later.

As an aside, there may not be a chapter next week, or it may be late. I'm going out of town this weekend and I typically get most of my writing done on Saturday. So, the update will depend on how much of the chapter I can get done while we're traveling.

Disclaimer: (I saw this on someone else's story and liked it.) I disclaim everything! (Except Hinode. He is all mine.)

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

A week had passed since Hinata and Sasuke had renewed their friendship. The two had grown comfortable with each other and often Sasuke felt the urge to push their relationship beyond the easy camaraderie they had fallen into. However, he forced himself to bide his time, waiting for the opportune moment. He had promised when he first set his eyes on the Hyuuga that he would go slowly with the shy woman.

Now, the two were resting in the shade of the willow tree behind the Hyuuga mansion. They had been training together all morning and both were tired. Hinata was leaning against the tree reading over a scroll, while Sasuke lay on his back watching the clouds through the leaves. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, scrutinizing her for any signs of boredom. He had developed a plan to subtly test her feelings for him and now would be the perfect time to implement it. Just as he was returning his gaze to the sky, she sighed and looked up from the scroll. Sasuke turned his head toward her.

"Bored?" he asked.

"A little," she admitted, giving him a slight smile.

He rolled onto his side to face her, propping his head on one arm. He made sure that his expression remained blank.

"Would you like to play a game?" he asked innocently.

Hinata had never imagined the stoic Uchiha as the type to play games and, despite the warnings of her more cautious side, she was intrigued.

"What game?" she asked.

He paused as though considering, then asked, "What about Truth or Dare?"

Hinata's curiosity died a swift death. She returned her gaze to the scroll in her lap.

"Ano…I never liked that game," she said.

Sasuke had not considered this possibility and his mind quickly sorted through his options.

"What id we play a revised version? The player is told both truth and dare before they choose which one to do," he suggested.

After a moment, Hinata nodded. That didn't sound too bad. Sasuke hid a triumphant smile. When he was younger, he had noticed that most people let down their inhibitions while playing a game. He was hoping to gain information from Hinata without her even realizing it.

"I'll start," he offered, pausing a moment to think. He asked, "Truth: what rank are you really? Dare: take off your vest."

Hinata hugged the vest to herself, already regretting that she had agreed to play. Either option would allow the intelligent Uchiha to guess what she had vowed to reveal to no one. After a moment, she silently slid the vest from her shoulders. Better he guess the truth than for her to tell him outright. She saw the moment the truth hit him, for his onyx eyes widened.

"You're ANBU, aren't you?" he asked.

She set the vest aside, saying primly, "I believe it is my turn now, Sasuke."

He smirked at her avoidance of his question, then opened his hand to motion her to go ahead.

"Truth: what are your nightmares about? Dare…" she cast about for something suitable and her eyes fell on his arms. From the point where they emerged from his dark sleeves to the base of his fingers, the skin was hidden beneath layers of white bandages. Now that she considered it, his arms had been covered ever since he had returned from Konoha. She finished, "Dare: unwrap your arm bandages."

'_She catches on quickly,'_ Sasuke thought.

He really did not want to choose either, for each would open him to her scorn. However, this was the point of the game. He sat up, lifting his hands to the white strips of cloth and beginning to slowly bare his pale arms. When he set the last bandage aside on the grass, he glanced up at her. One hand ran self-consciously over the arm which was closest to her, as if by that motion he could continue to hide the numerous scars which marked his skin.

"Truth: why did you want to see these? Dare: rewrap my arms," he said quickly.

Either one of her choices would gain him something that he wanted—an admission that she cared about him or her touch. Hinata did not lift her eyes from his arms.

"You try to hide so much of yourself. Even though we are friends, I know almost nothing about you that isn't already common knowledge," she said, taking his hand in one of her own and running gentle fingers over the angry red scars on his skin. She asked, "Why do you hide from the people who care about you?"

Hinata hoped he would go ahead and answer her question, for she could not think of an adequate dare. She met his eyes.

"When I was younger, my father always told me to be more like Itachi. By that time, he had entered ANBU and had become cold and aloof. In trying to make my father proud of me, I attempted to lock away my emotions too. Then, after the massacre, it became instinctive to hide what I was really feeling and when I joined the Sound Village, it was vital that I hide my true self. It is ingrained in me now," the dark-haired man admitted.

"What about these scars? Didn't the Sound Village have medic nin?" she asked, forgetting the game for a moment.

"They were used only for life-threatening injuries. Each one of these scars represents a failure to plan well enough or move quickly enough…or of when I was simply too weak to accomplish what was needed. That is why I keep them covered," he explained. Sasuke then forced a smile in an attempt to lighten the suddenly somber mood and asked, "Isn't it my turn though?"

A faint blush stole into her cheeks.

"You may go twice if you wish to make up for it, Sasuke," she offered.

"It's fine. I could have chosen not to answer you," he said, "Tell me, what do _you_ hide? Dare: massage my back."

Her lavender eyes widened as she fought back a blush. She could think of one thing she hid from him, but she would die before admitting that.

"You've already learned one of my secrets. Isn't that enough for one day?" she asked in an attempt to distract him.

He smirked, seeing right through her, and rolled his shoulders.

"You could always choose to massage my back," he said.

"A-are you sure?" she stammered.

"I'm sore from our training this morning, Hinata," he explained.

She scooted a little closer to him as he turned his back to her. It was all she could do not to revert back to her old habit of blushing when uncomfortable.

'_It's a legitimate request. I'm a little sore too,'_ she told herself in an attempt to calm down.

Without warning, he pulled off his shirt. Her eyes darted across the broad span of his back, which was crossed with scars just like his arms, then she closed them tightly. Judging by the amount of heat concentrated in her face, all her efforts had proven in vain. She had likely turned the color of a ripe tomato.

"It would get in your way," she heard Sasuke explain.

Hesitantly, she opened first one eye, then the other. Almost of its own accord, one of her hands lifted to lightly touch his right shoulder. He shivered under her hand and she innocently apologized for the coldness of her fingers. Her eyes followed the path of her hand as it trailed across his back to the left shoulder, stopping over the black curse mark imprinted on his pale skin. He turned his head to meet her eyes.

"Does it bother you?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"It's like Neji's cursed seal. You weren't the one responsible for putting it there," she answered.

"But I did make use of it," Sasuke reminded her.

Her hand dropped from his back as she said, "That is behind you now, Sasuke."

When he didn't answer, she began to massage his shoulders. His head fell forward, onyx eyes closing in bliss as he enjoyed her ministrations. Hinata drew back after a moment. He turned to find her eyes focused on her lap as she nervously pushed her pointer fingers together.

"Can we stop the game? I'm uncomfortable," she said softly.

Sasuke felt a moment of disappointment. Despite knowing that he should not push her any further, he couldn't stop himself from asking, "Could I have one more turn?"

Her eyes lifted to study his expression. One brow was furrowed, making him look oddly vulnerable. It was that look more than anything that convinced her to agree. Hinata wanted to know what question could make the stoic Uchiha appear so hesitant. Besides, he technically did have an extra turn since she had asked two questions.

"Truth: do you like me? Dare…" his eyes darted away from hers, "Kiss me."

Hinata's lavender eyes widened again, even as she blushed at the realization that she was actually considering accepting his dare. She studied his abashed expression, a soft smile flitting across her face.

Sasuke was miserable. He had promised not to push her, then he just had to have that final turn. He was as much of an idiot as Naruto had ever been.

"Hinata, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-" his voice cut off abruptly, as did all coherent thought, when he felt her warm breath ghosting across his cheek. Her lips brushed that same spot before she pulled away. As soon as he recovered his wits, Sasuke frowned at her and she stifled a giggle.

"You didn't specify where, Sasuke," she teased.

His onyx eyes narrowed. He leaned toward her, bracing both arms on the tree trunk at her back to block any avenues of escape. Her smile vanished as she stared up at him.

"You knew what I meant," he breathed.

His gaze dropped to her lips and her heart stopped beating, only to resume at triple its former pace. He slowly began to lower his head toward hers. Her eyes fell closed as she felt his breath on her face. Any moment now their lips would touch.

"Hinata-obasan!" Hinode's voice froze them in place.

Sasuke pulled back, glaring at the tiny intruder as he pushed through the branches of the willow tree. He climbed into Hinata's lap, pointing at the Uchiha and giggling.

"Sasuke-ojisan isn't wearing a shirt!" he exclaimed.

Despite his disgruntlement, Sasuke couldn't help but smile at the little boy. He reached over and picked up his shirt, pulling it over his head. As his eyes emerged from the top of the fabric, he caught Hinata watching him with a hint of disappointment in her eyes. Their gazes locked. His dark eyes promised that they would finish this later. Hinata quickly returned her gaze to the boy in her lap, blushing wildly.

* * *

You know, I just realized that you will all probably hate me if I don't update after this. So I will try my hardest to have a chapter ready next week. Please don't hunt me down and kill me.

**WinterKaguya/SasukeUchiha911:** There, Sasuke has made his move, though he did have a reason for going slowly. Hinata is embarrassed now about what has happened, she might have even fainted had he done something like this earlier in the story...or maybe just punched him, though that sounds more like something Sakura would do.

**Alewey2:** No, Kiba thinks of Hinata as his little sister. Sasuke is just paranoid. n.n

**Punchandpie7:** I am one of those real women with curves. n.n However, I describe Hinata, well actually, all three of the Rookie Nine girls, as slender, because how else is one to describe them? They are all very thin. Let me know if you can think of some different adjectives to use: )

Well, no one has correctly guessed who those disapproving eyes in the last chapter belonged to. You will be finding out in the next few chapters, so don't go crazy guessing. All will be revealed in time, young grasshoppers. Until then, read and review!


	19. Chapter 17

Well, this isn't quite how I imagined I would get this chapter done, but whatever works, right? Anyway, I've come down with the flu so I had to skip some of my classes today, giving me time to write this chapter. This is officially next week's chapter, but I decided to go ahead and post it early. Since I'm getting so close to the end, I might go ahead and try to get another chapter up sometime next week, but it will all depend on my schedule. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter!

Edit: Inspiration struck about ten minutes after I posted this chapter, so now it does include the kiss scene. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own, therefore you cannot sue.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen 

Hinata sat fidgeting before two intense stares, and one sleepy one. In an attempt to give her hands something to do, she reached over and took Asayake from her cousin, smiling down into the little girl's tired lavender eyes. She touched the baby's nose gently as she yawned, then the little one fell sound asleep. Unfortunately, this left Hinata with no other choice than to look at Tenten and Sakura.

"Well, what happened? Tsunade-shishou will be expecting me to return to the hospital soon," the medic-nin prompted.

"You were the one who called _us_ here," the brunette piped up.

"I'm beginning to second-guess myself though," Hinata admitted very quietly.

The other two women's eyes lit up with immediate interest and Tenten leaned forward, laying a hand on her cousin-in-law's shoulder.

"You can tell us anything, Hina-chan!" she said.

Hinata sighed, giving in. She really did need to talk to someone and these two women were the ones she trusted the most.

"Well, Sasuke convinced me to play a game of Truth or Dare with him," she began.

"Minus points for lack of creativity," Tenten muttered.

Sakura elbowed her lightly, then urged, "Please continue, Hinata-chan."

Fighting a blush, Hinata continued to relate the story of her afternoon. The other two women did not interrupt until she had finished, both their gazes intent on her face.

"He almost kissed me before Hinode interrupted. We didn't say anything after that…but his eyes…they promised that he would finish what he had started," she whispered.

Sakura nodded with satisfaction, green eyes sparkling.

"It's about time he made a move," she said.

Hinata gave her friend a bewildered look.

"But we've only know each other for a short amount of time," she protested.

"You are both ninja, Hina-chan. Even though Sasuke is currently under probation, I'm sure it won't be long before Naruto returns him to active duty. Konoha needs as many skilled ninja on active duty as possible. You've admitted that you like him and it is apparent that he returns your feelings. As ninja, you never know how long you have left. You have to make the best of what time is given to you," Tenten said, tone making it clear that she spoke from experience.

For just a moment, Hinata's mind flashed to her developing plan to save Neji and she felt guilty. It was clear he and Tenten had comes to terms with his possible death, but she couldn't just sit back and do nothing while he went into danger. She quickly forced her mind back to the issue at hand.

"So if he does try to resume where we left off, I should let him?" she questioned meekly.

Sakura gave her a reassuring smile, "Follow your heart, Hinata-chan, and don't let him push you. Do what you are comfortable doing, and nothing else."

Hinata's heart warmed as she looked at these two very different women—one a passionate medic-nin, the other a light-hearted weapons mistress. They both meant so much to her and she was so grateful for their support and advice. Shifting the slight weight of the sleeping baby to one arm, she leaned forward and hugged first Sakura, then Tenten.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at them.

The pink-haired medic gave her a gentle smile, while Tenten was practically beaming. The brunette reached to take back her child, giving Hinata slight poke in the side as she did so.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Hina-chan? Go snare yourself an Uchiha!" she said.

The Hyuuga woman blushed uncomfortably and Sakura gave the weapons mistress a small frown.

"You'll scare her away," she chided, but also turned and sent her friend a wink, "Knock him off his feet."

Hinata hurried from the room before the two really did make her lose her courage, followed by the sound of their cheerful laughter.

.oOo.oOo.

Sasuke was considered by many people to be a genius. Everywhere he went, he was the Uchiha Avenger, the great prodigy of his massacred clan. He was used to considering himself a very intelligent person.

This was why he doubted his sanity as he lowered himself to the ground, facing down the silver-eyed stare of the man opposite him. He took a slight breath, letting it out audibly in a sign of his nervousness. The silver eyes narrowed, then the man looked away from him.

"What do you want, Uchiha?" he asked dismissively.

Another deep breath.

"I'm asking your permission to court your cousin," he stated.

An inquiring tilt of one dark eyebrow as Neji met his gaze for the first time since he had entered the man's room. The Hyuuga prodigy laid his hands on his knees, the tiny curve of his lips showing that he was amused by Sasuke's request.

"Shouldn't you be asking her father that question?" he said.

"I have no doubt that Hiashi will accept my offer. I simply wanted the clear my way before approaching him," Sasuke said.

Despite his better judgment, Neji felt a moment of respect for the dark-eyed man sitting opposite him.

"What does my cousin think of you?" he asked.

"She…ah…" he trailed off, a tiny blush rising on his cheeks.

Well, she didn't seem averse to that near-kiss they had nearly shared, but it would be like committing suicide to tell her protector that he had already tried to kiss her. Then again, Sasuke wasn't considered a genius for nothing.

"We have become friends, Hyuuga. I believe that is a good basis for a relationship. With time, I think it could grow into more," he said.

To his surprise, Neji sighed, shaking his head. He gave the Uchiha a real smile, albeit a tiny one.

"You aren't making this easy on me at all, Sasuke," he said. The man twitched at the Hyuuga's sudden change to using his familiar name. Onyx eyes narrowed intently as Neji continued, "I wanted to hate you from the very beginning, yet you keep surprising me and making such a thing very difficult."

The Hyuuga's aristocratic head dipped toward him in a sign of acknowledgment.

"I already placed her welfare into your hands, now I entrust her happiness to you as well. Sasuke, you have my permission to court Hinata," he said.

The Uchiha couldn't help the slight smile that came to his features. Maybe he wasn't as foolish as he had thought he was being. He echoed Neji's nod.

"Thank you…Neji," he said, a little uncertain at calling the Hyuuga by his first name.

When he was younger, the two had been distant rivals when they were not otherwise ignoring each other. As prominent members of the two great clans specializing in eye techniques, friendship had never been encouraged between them. He tensed when Neji slowly reached out a hand and laid it on his shoulder. The man's silver gaze was searching, yet something had softened in their depths.

"Come to me whenever you need to. I know I'm not a substitute for Naruto, but I'll be here to listen," he offered.

Sasuke's onyx eyes widened at his words. Neji really had changed since he had known him. He nodded, unable to help his wariness. It was hard to trust after so long with no one but himself to rely on. Somehow, though, he knew Neji understood when he merely rose without a word and left the room.

.oOo.oOo.

Hinata was sitting beneath the willow tree watching the sun set over the pond when she heard someone pushing through the concealing branches. She turned her head as Sasuke joined her, feeling butterflies stir to life in her stomach. This would be it, what she'd been waiting for since…well, almost since she first laid eyes on him after his return. Her face heated with a blush and she looked away to conceal the tell-tale sign. The Uchiha lowered himself to the ground beside her and merely joined her in watching the blood-red sky. Her pulse was hammering so loudly she was certain he had to be able to hear it, yet he just sat there.

Just when she thought she could stand the silence no longer, Sasuke turned his head toward her, his expression almost hesitant. She stiffened as he shifted his weight, but he did no more than slide his arm around her waist and pull her closer to him. His grasp was gentle as though he were waiting for her to pull away from him. In an attempt to encourage him, she laid her head on his shoulder. Sasuke slowly leaned his head against hers, but still kept his eyes on the sunset. Growing bolder, Hinata slipped her arm around his waist and he jumped, lifting his head away from hers. He looked so adorably uncertain that she wanted to laugh, but she knew that would definitely give him the wrong impression.

"Hinata, let me know if I'm making you uncomfortable," he said softly.

The woman resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She would never have imagined that the Uchiha could be as dense as Naruto had once been. Though, she could feel his heart pounding beneath her hand, so he was obviously not entirely unaware of her. She felt a moment of joy as she realized that he was just trying to make sure he wasn't doing anything that might frighten her away, but it quickly gave way to impatience. She was just going to have to treat the Uchiha genius the same way she had treated Naruto.

"Sasuke," she said softly.

His head titled toward hers and she chose the opportunity to lift her head and press her lips gently against his. She remained that way for a only a moment, savoring the feel of his warm lips on her own, then she pulled back and gave him a soft smile.

"Let me know if I'm making _you_ uncomfortable," she said, twisting his own words back on him.

He stared at her, onyx eyes wide with shock. Her smile changed to one of satisfaction.

_'Take that, Sakura. I_did _sweep him off his feet,'_ she thought.

Though, that was her last coherent thought for a while as his head lowered toward hers and their lips met.

* * *

So..it would have been the perfect day to post their first kiss, ne? However, the foolish author neglected to plan out the kiss and is now left scratching her head in an attempt to decide how to go about it. Therefore, the kiss will be in the next chapter after I've had time to plan. 

**Akai-sora:** Cliches become cliches precisely because they are central to the human experience. How Truth or Dare is central...well, I have no idea...but it is a convenient plot device!

**NikkiTheHyugaChick:** Thanks for your reviews. I know my dialogue can be stiff. In my opinion, realistic dialogue is the hardest part of a story. Glad to know that you think I'm improving. And please don't eat your cat. Fur is very bad for the digestion. n.n

**SasukeUchiha911:** -protects Hinode- Leave the innocent kid alone! Be angry with the evil author who made him interrupt. No, wait! Don't get mad at me either, um...the kiss will be coming very soon? -cowers behind Neji-

**HopeoftheForgotten:** You are not annoying! I appreciate your reviews. Sasuke didn't go all crazy when he figured out that she was ANBU because he had suspected it. He knew she was very powerful and used techniques beyond those of an ordinary jounin. Though he still doesn't know that she was the captain of the squad that brought him in.

Thanks to everyone for their kind reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying my story. TWO REVIEWS LEFT TO GET TO 400!!! That's so awesome! Anyway, please leave a review and let me know what you thought. I'll give you a heart-shaped cookie for Valentine's Day!


	20. Chapter 18

My apologies for not updating last week. It was midterms and I was going out of my mind trying to get all my exams and papers done. Anyway, now I'm on spring break and I'm planning on posting another chapter later this week to make up for the lack of an update last week. Look for it on Friday (maybe sooner).

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Naruto...thank you for the painful reminder. While you're at it, why don't you give me a paper cut and pour lemon juice on it? (cookie to whoever gets the movie reference)

* * *

Chapter Eighteen

"Hold out your arms…good. Now cup your hand so that it will support her head," Neji instructed his son.

Once he judged the boy's posture correct, he gently transferred Asayake into Hinode's arms. The little boy's brow furrowed in concentration as he held her stiffly. Her eyes opened in protest and she let out a soft whimper, warning of louder cries to come if she was not made more comfortable. Hinode looked about ready to cry right along with his little sister. Neji quickly came to their rescue.

"Hold her closer to your body. She likes to hear your heartbeat," he said.

Hinode shifted the baby to follow his father's directions and, after a moment, she quieted.

"Neji," Sasuke said from the doorway.

The man raised a hand to show that he heard, but did not turn from his children until he was certain they were comfortable with each other. Then, he faced the hesitant Uchiha. He found Sasuke's gaze also on the children, an expression of such unguarded longing in his onyx eyes that Neji felt his heart soften even more toward the young man.

"Those two are mine, you know," he teased.

Sasuke's eyes snapped to his face as he evaluated Neji's tone. After a moment, he gave him a small, cautious smile.

"You said a few days ago that I could come to you if I needed anything," Sasuke paused and Neji nodded. Sasuke continued, "I have a favor to ask of you."

The Hyuuga nodded again, a little more warily this time. He listened intently as Sasuke described what he needed. When the younger man finished, Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Have you spoken with Hiashi yet?" he asked.

"I intend to speak with him next," Sasuke said.

"Then I'll take care of the-" Neji was interrupted.

"Ow!" Hinode exclaimed.

Both men turned to the children, Neji relaxing when his eldest giggled. Asayake had grabbed hold of a lock of Hinode's long hair. After discovering with a yank that the hair was firmly attached, she gurgled to herself as she ran chubby fingers over the soft strands. Hinode bent his head closer to her as she again tugged at his hair. He turned his head to peek up at his father.

"I guess this is why okaasan always has her hair up," he said.

Neji smiled at the boy and amended, "I'll take care of it as soon as I deal with these two."

Sasuke nodded and left the room to deal with his next obstacle.

"Hiashi-sama," he called as he stepped into the man's study.

The Hyuuga head rose from his seat, inclining his head toward the younger man.

"Uchiha-san, welcome. Please have a seat," he said graciously.

Sasuke gracefully lowered himself to the floor, shaking his head when he was offered a cup of tea. He took a breath, nerving himself up for the purpose of this visit. He met Hiashi's gaze and was flabbergasted when the man actually winked at him. Train of thought totally lost, he was left staring at the Hyuuga. The man hid a smile behind his teacup.

"So, Uchiha-san, would I be incorrect to assume that your visit concerns my daughter?" he asked.

"Ah…no, Hiashi-sama, you would not," Sasuke stammered, but quickly collected himself, "That is, I wish to ask for Hinata's hand in marriage."

Hiashi studied him for a moment, then again stunned the Uchiha.

"Are the two of you in love?" he asked, scrutinizing him with those all-seeing silver eyes.

"I'm…not sure. We haven't actually spoken the words, but I believe so. At least…I love her," Sasuke forced out, knowing that he needed to be honest despite his aversion to baring his true feelings to anyone.

Hiashi smiled at this admission, not bothering to hide his satisfaction.

"If my daughter is indeed in love with you, then you have my blessing," he said.

Sasuke bowed his head toward the man, hiding the adrenaline that suddenly rushed through his veins. He had permission to marry Hinata!

"Thank you, Hiashi-sama," he murmured, rising and leaving the study.

Now he just had to find the perfect time to propose.

.oOo.oOo.

That night, Sasuke stood at his window, gazing blankly across the Hyuuga grounds. The moon was nearly full and shed soft light on the surface of the pond. His eyes turned downward as he heard the sound of a door sliding closed. He made out the form of someone walking down to the pond and, from the way his pulse had suddenly quickened, it was Hinata. He started out his window after her, then turned back to grab the item Neji had retrieved for him. Slipping it into his pocket, he slid through the window and dropped silently to the ground. His bare feet made no sound on the carpet of grass, disguising his approach. He paused in the shadow of the willow tree. His eyes immediately fixed on Hinata's slender, black-clothed form. She stood in the center of the pond, water already sparkling around her along with blue flashes of chakra as she moved through the forms of Jyuuken. Sasuke had no idea how long he stood there watching her graceful form, noting to himself how each of her movements seemed like something from a carefully choreographed dance. Time intruded upon the scene when she stopped, pulling her long hair back into a ponytail to keep the strands from falling into her face. Her silver eyes, so similar to the moon above, turned toward him and he realized that she knew he had been watching her. He stepped out onto the water, joining her in the center of the pond.

"Having trouble sleeping?" she asked gently.

He shook his head. Truth be told, his nightmares had faded in frequency the more time he spent with Hinata. He had not had a nightmare this entire week.

"Actually, Hinata, there was something I wanted to ask you," he said, mouth suddenly dry.

She raised an eyebrow, again smiling at him. She found him so adorable when he was uncertain about something, as he was now. He slipped his hand into his pocket, closing his hand around the item within and pulling it out. Taking a deep breath, he sank to one knee, adjusting his chakra to keep him above the surface of the water. Hinata's lavender eyes widened and she lifted a hand to her mouth.

"You know that I'm no good at showing my emotions, and why…but I'm going to try," he said, "I came back to Konoha knowing that I had to marry and revive my clan. It was just a matter of finding someone willing to marry me. I didn't think it would be difficult, considering just about all the girls had once been in love with me, but I was not expecting to fall in love myself. You changed that, Hinata. I can't imagine sharing my life with anyone else, and I don't want to. Marry me, Hinata."

She let out a soft laugh, looking away from him to hide her blush. It was certainly not the romantic proposal she had always imagined, neither did the Uchiha phrase it as a question. It came out more as a command, but his uncertainty was clear in his dark eyes.

She answered somewhat impulsively, "Yes, Sasuke. I'll marry you."

A genuine smile lit his pale features. He took her hand and slid an engagement ring onto her finger, surprised when it fit perfectly. She lifted it to study her finger, noting how the single diamond caught the light of the moon.

"It was my mother's," Sasuke explained.

"It's lovely," Hinata said, bending and pressing a kiss to Sasuke's cheek.

He blushed, then stood and caught her up in his arms. He spun her in a circle until they were both laughing and dizzy. He set her down and she was forced to lean against him until her balance returned. Sasuke felt a sudden chill as though he was being watched and lifted his gaze from his fiancée's radiant expression. His eyes caught upon a figure perched on a tree branch, silhouetted against the moon. His heart stuttered to a stop, mind flashing back to a different night that had changed his life. He blinked and the figure was gone, making him doubt it had ever been there. Hinata, however, had noticed his shock.

"What's the matter?" she asked, activating her Byakugan to scan the trees around them.

"Nothing…it was nothing," Sasuke said, turning her face back to him.

Drawing her close, he lowered his head and kissed her until the dark images faded from his mind.

* * *

Well, I seem to be on a roll. That is two chapters now that have ended with a kiss. Anyway, stay tuned for MI next chapter! Now, for my answers to the reviews from last chapter...

**Moirah:** Thanks for the compliments. I hope your computer remains virus-free!

**Zetnnik:** Hmmm...the joy of being evil, or a cupcake?...such a hard decision. n.n Sorry for the shortness of the chapter. I write until my muse says stop and sometimes the muse says stop more quickly than I would like. I am trying to make my chapters longer though!

**AnimeRose93:** All Naruto really felt for Hinata was friendship, and Hinata confused her admiration of Naruto for love. They are good friends, but there was really nothing there for any other kind of relationship.

**Alewey2:** Well, this answered your question about when Sasuke will go to Hiashi. As for the identity of the disapproving person, that will come next chapter.

Thanks for the great reviews, everyone! Again, I apologize for how short they have been, but I've just been overwhelmed by schoolwork and my muse is feeling a little tuckered out. I will try to make them longer (as I post another short chapter). Sorry!

Please read and review!


	21. Chapter 19

So, I was inspired and I decided to go ahead and write/post this chapter. Maybe I'll make up for the relative shortness of the chapters with frequent updates. n.n Anyway, now I'm thinking I'll get at least three chapters done this week. I'm close to the end of Miru Hoshi and it would be nice to get this story done over spring break. I have SO many more story ideas, but right now Miru Hoshi is taking up most of my spare time. Well, we'll see what I can get done. In the meantime, please enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: Naruto is not and...and...never will be mine. -sniff-

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

Hinata had made a mistake. When she had agreed to Sasuke's proposal, she had completely forgotten about her cousin's situation. Tomorrow would be the last day of the two weeks Naruto had granted Neji after Asayake's birth. She had to move now if she was going to save him.

She would hurt Sasuke if this mission of hers ended badly, but she was certain he would get over it. There were plenty of other young women willing to help revive the Uchiha clan. She had seen the way eyes followed Sasuke's lean form whenever they went out, even if he had eyes only for her. He had already lost so many of the people he loved…but he could handle the pain. Hinode and Asayake needed their father, or so she told herself.

Discarding her oversized nightshirt, she pulled on the tight, black pants and sleeveless shirt of her ANBU uniform. This was followed by the white vest and arm guards. The last item she strapped on was the sheath across her back which contained her ninjaken. She surveyed herself in the mirror, then pulled her mask down to conceal her features.

Hinata closed her eyes, taking in a few calming breaths. She then walked soundlessly from her room, stopping only after she had left the Hyuuga mansion. She glanced over her shoulder.

"Goodbye, Sasuke," she whispered.

The young woman lifted a hand, forming it into a seal, and vanished with a puff of smoke.

.oOo.oOo.

Less then ten minutes later, Hinata walked through the gate and into the Uchiha compound. If she had thought the place was eerie during the day, she was forced to reconsider her opinion. In the slight light of the moon, every shadow seemed to shift with a life of its own. She had the feeling that, if she listened close enough, she would be able to hear the cries of the Uchiha clan as they were slaughtered all those years ago. Hinata quickly put the thought aside, knowing better than to let her imagination roam free. She was an elite ANBU captain and she had to stay focused on the mission at hand.

The young woman entered Sasuke's childhood home without a moment of hesitation. With her Byakugan activated, she could tell that there were no signs of life within. At least, no signs of life outside Itachi's room. The seal still kept her from seeing within, but that would change soon enough. She came to a halt outside the unassuming door, eyes tracing the intricate design of the seal. It was one of the best she had encountered, no surprise considering the person who had created it. However, undoing it was simply a matter of finding the end of the tangle and pulling out the knot. The rest of the seal would quickly unravel once that was done.

She paced down the hall a short distance, eyes searching the lines of chakra for the elusive strand which would release the entire design.

'_There!'_ she thought, forming a seal of her own, then reaching out and touching the wall.

"Kai," she whispered.

The walls and door shimmered slightly, then the seal dispersed, allowing her to see into the room.

It was empty.

She let out a sigh of relief, making her way back to the door and cautiously opening it, scanning the room for any sign of hidden traps. The hair on the back of her neck rose as she stepped into Itachi's room—the first person since the Uchiha massacre to do so. Only…it did not appear as though it had been uninhabited for so many years. No dust coated the floor or furniture, nor did the place smell musty. However, it could be one of the effects of the seal. Ignoring the instincts which screamed for her to run away, she went further into the room.

It did not look like a place which had been inhabited by a mass murderer. A banner bearing the Uchiha symbol hung on the wall behind the futon, unfaded by time. A row of scrolls were neatly organized upon the desk and Hinata stopped there to look at them. They contained clan jutsus, medical techniques, and a history of the Uchiha clan, nothing unusual. An underlined portion of the last scroll caught her attention.

"'According to most sources, the Sharingan evolved from the Byakugan,'" she read aloud. A question was written neatly next to this sentence, "'What caused this evolution?'"

Hinata set the scroll back down, frowning slightly. Why had Itachi been so interested in the evolution of the Sharingan? She had always thought he was more the type to simply use his bloodline limit for what it could offer. However, he was a genius, so it would make sense that he would want to know more about his clan's famous skill.

Hinata moved on to the dresser, surprised to find three photos lined up across the top. The first was a picture of Itachi's genin team. She didn't recognize the other three members of the team, but Itachi was impossible to mistake. He looked almost exactly like Sasuke had at that age. The only difference Hinata could immediately see was that, where his younger brother seethed with brooding rage, Itachi was merely blank. Looking closer, she could see that the lines stress had later carved so deeply into his face were already beginning to appear. He looked so young compared to the other two genin on his team, impressing again upon her the fact that this boy was a genius. She wondered for a moment at the pressure he must have been under, but she refused to allow herself to feel pity for the elder Uchiha.

Instead, she moved onto the next picture. Her eyes widened in surprise when she made out the two people caught on film. The first was, not surprisingly, Itachi. However, he appeared more relaxed and open than he had in the first picture. He even had a tiny smile on his face. Next to him, sticking her tongue out at the camera with her arm around the Uchiha's shoulders, was a dark-haired girl who appeared to be about Itachi's age. The red slash marks on her cheeks identified her as an Inuzuka and, after a quick session of mental math, Hinata realized that this was none other than Inuzuka Hana. She had never known that the reserved woman had been Itachi's friend. Then again, after the massacre, it probably had not been something Hana cared to recall.

The last picture was one of Sasuke's family. Fugaku stood stoically behind Itachi, one hand resting on his son's shoulder. Mikoto stood beside her husband, one arm around his waist and a gentle smile on her face. Itachi's eyes were on his younger brother, who was making an outrageous face at the camera. Again, one corner of the elder boy's mouth was tipped up in a smile and some of the stress had faded from his face. But what was completely shocking to Hinata was the expression in his eyes as he looked down at Sasuke. It was not amusement or condescension; instead, it looked like love. Itachi did not look like someone who would murder his clan and cause his younger brother years of inner torment and hatred. Though, it was likely an act. Of course he would not look like a murderer, or his clan would have been prepared for him to turn on them.

Danger sense still tingling, Hinata turned to the last piece of furniture in the room—the futon. The dark blankets were pulled neatly up to the top of the bed, but, as she came closer, she noticed something that the darkness had concealed before. It looked like there was someone sleeping in the bed. Her breath caught in her throat as she slid the ninjaken from its sheath as quietly as she could. The lump beneath the sheets did not stir and she hoped that it was just something Itachi had left behind. After all, her Byakugan was not detecting any chakra signatures from the futon.

Hinata stopped a few feet away, stretching out a hand and attaching a chakra string to the blankets. With a jerk of her arm, she pulled the sheets down. Her eyes locked with blood-red Sharingan, the black tomoe whirling and drawing her in before she could think to fight.

"Hyuuga, I never expected you to come to me so easily. However, I cannot say that this is not a pleasant surprise," Itachi rose from the bed gracefully, keeping his eyes locked with hers. He added quietly, "My foolish little brother is certain to come after you as soon as he finds that you are missing."

Hinata opened her mouth to say something, anything, but it was as though he had frozen her vocal chords. The tomoe spun faster, their darkness consuming her vision. Itachi caught her as she fell forward, unconscious.

* * *

Congrats to those who guessed last chapter that Itachi was still alive. More details on that coming up in the next few chapters. And, for those who threatened him, please don't kill Itachi. Then Sasuke will never get Hinata back. n.n

**Hopeof theForgotten:** Yes, Sasuke killed Itachi, or so he thought. Does the title 'genjutsu master' mean anything? Never believe your eyes when it comes to Itachi. n.n And please, no yaoi with Gai. The very thought is FAR too disturbing. Itachi is simply being used by the authoress as a convenient plot device. It's nothing personal, no need to torment him.

**Dark Aura132:** Yes, Miru Hoshi is sadly drawing to a close. I have three more chapters planned, but that might expand a little bit depending on whether or not my muse behaves. However, as I mentioned at the start of the chapter, there are many more stories planned after this one is finished!

**Akai-sora:** The reference in my last disclaimer was from The Princess Bride. It was, to the best of my remembrance, a quote from Miracle Max. If you have never seen the movie, I highly recommend it. It has everything, epic battles, humor, romance...masked pirates who remind me of Zorro. n.n Wonderful movie.

Read (Actually, if you're reading this, I would hope you've already read the chapter. Then again, maybe my author notes are so fascinating you have to read them before you dare turn your attention to the chapter...no? Well, I can always dream...) and leave a review!


	22. Chapter 20

Hey, all! Got this chapter finished and wanted to go ahead and post it. It feels a little rushed to me, but I'll let you readers decide. I am hoping to post one more chapter before I go back to college, but I have a LOT of stuff at home that needs to be tied up before I go back, so we'll see.

Disclaimer: If you can mistake me, a teenage girl, for a Japanese man, you need to get your eyesight checked.

* * *

Chapter Twenty 

The next morning, Sasuke poked his head into the main room of the Hyuuga mansion, where Hanabi sat alone with her head bent over a scroll. She was admittedly the family member with whom Sasuke had had the least contact, but she had always seemed supportive of his growing relationship with Hinata.

"Excuse me, Hanabi-san," he said, stepping into the room.

She lifted her head, giving him a small smile.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you had seen Hinata. She isn't in her room," he said.

She frowned slightly, the veins around her eyes bulging as she activated her bloodline limit. He waited in tense silence until her eyesight faded back to normal.

"She isn't in the house…but I haven't seen her today. I've been here all morning and I would've seen her leave," Hanabi said quietly.

Sasuke tried to hide his sudden surge of adrenaline, but by the way the Hyuuga heiress regarded him, he could tell that she saw right through his façade. He bowed his head to her and left the room without saying another word. Hanabi watched him go, activating her Byakugan when she heard the front door slide closed behind him. Her eyes widened and she quickly set aside the scroll she had been studying.

"Neji!" she yelled, rising to her feet.

In a matter of moments, her cousin was running into the room, kunai in hand. His eyes scanned the room before settling on her.

"What is the matter, Hanabi-sama?" he asked.

"Hinata must have left some time last night and now Sasuke's gone after her. He was headed toward the Uchiha compound when he left my range of vision," the heiress explained.

Neji's silver eyes narrowed. Hinata would not have been foolish enough to—but it was just like her to put herself in danger to save him. And Sasuke was obviously convinced that she had done so. His Byakugan automatically activated as he started after the Uchiha. Even though Neji was renowned as being a member of the fastest team in Konoha, he still was not able to catch up to Sasuke until the younger man was opening the doorway of his home. He grabbed Sasuke's wrist, pulling him to a stop.

"Sasuke, wait! You should know better than to just charge into a possibly dangerous situation," he said sternly.

Sasuke turned his head toward him and Neji was startled to see tears glittering in his dark eyes.

"Let me go," was all he said.

The Hyuuga ignored him, instead lifting his head and scanning the home with his Byakugan. What he saw made his heart sink.

"The door to your brother's room is open," he said.

With a burst of strength, Sasuke jerked his arm from Neji's grasp and entered the house. The Hyuuga quickly followed him, looking around for any signs Hinata might have left behind. Because of Neji's more cautious pace, Sasuke entered Itachi's room before him.

"She was definitely the one who unsealed the door. I can see remnants of her chakra," Neji said.

He froze as Sasuke's chakra suddenly surged with killing intent. The younger man turned from the corner of the room, lifting a bloodstained bandage that had lain there.

"My brother was here," he said coldly.

Neji hid his own surge of emotions, instead stating, "We need to report this to the Hokage.

.oOo.oOo.

It was only a few minutes before the two were shown into Naruto's office. Sasuke remained tensely silent, allowing Neji to report the situation. Naruto's sapphire eyes were darkened with anger by the time the Hyuuga finished. He rose from his desk, pacing to the window to stare blankly over Konoha.

"I shouldn't be surprised. In fact, I should have seen this coming," he said softly. He turned to his assistant and said in a louder voice, "Summon Tsunade."

The assistant glanced away from him, shifting uneasily.

"Tsunade-hime is…incapacitated, Hokage-sama," he said.

Naruto scowled.

"Get me Sakura then…and Kakashi. Tell him it's an emergency and he has to come immediately," he said.

The trio waited in tense silence until Sakura dashed through the doorway, pink hair disheveled. They were joined a heartbeat later by Kakashi, who entered the room via the window. Sakura's eyes traveled the strained faces of her best friend and fellow jounin, at last stopping on Sasuke's expression.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Hinata's been taken by Itachi. The four of us are going after them," Naruto explained shortly.

Neji stiffened and protested, "This was my mission. Besides, Hokage-sama, you shouldn't put yourself in harm's way."

"Hinata put _herself_ in danger to protect you. I won't send you out and negate what she chose to do. You will stay here. Kakashi, head out and use your nin dogs to track them. Sakura, Sasuke, and I will catch up," he said, allowing a slight smile to come to his face as he added, "It will be just like old times."

.oOo.oOo.

When Hinata woke up, she was lying in the grass looking up at a cloudless blue sky. Her eyes widened as she recalled what had happened last night and she sat up, surprised to find that she was not bound in any way. She raised her head to find Itachi seated across from her, watching her with onyx eyes few had probably seen. Despite her better instincts, she felt a hint of disappointment that he was apparently underestimating her.

"I haven't gone through all this trouble just to let you escape, Hyuuga. I have other ways of tying you to me," he said softly.

She was startled at the apparent ease with which he followed her train of thoughts.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

He didn't answer her, instead turning his head as though listening to the sounds around them. When his gaze returned to her, it contained the same blankness she had seen in the pictures from his bedroom. He looked more like a machine than a human.

"My brother is taking longer than I expected," he said tonelessly.

It was Hinata's turn to be quiet, her mind turning back to the picture of Itachi's family. Why had he killed all of them? Why was he still tormenting Sasuke? It was not fair at all. Sasuke had just now found happiness and Itachi was trying to rip it away from him. What had made this man into such a cruel monster that he could slaughter his clan?

Itachi glanced at Hinata, raising one aristocratic brow. His dark eyes were faintly mocking as he studied her.

"You want to know why I killed them," he stated, "So have many others. Even little Sasuke has asked me that question. If I did not tell my own brother, why would I tell you?"

Hinata watched him, lavender eyes unafraid. He intended to use her as bait for Sasuke and she did not believe he would hurt her before Sasuke came. She studied his expression, reading a change of emotions somewhere deep in their depths. He looked as though he was willing to talk about the event that had made so many people wonder about his motives for so long.

"You would like to," she responded at last.

His eyelids half-closed, hiding the obsidian orbs from the all-seeing eyes of the Hyuuga clan. The amusement drained from his lean figure. When he looked back up at her, for the first time, Hinata saw the slightest trace of something human in his eyes. Like Sasuke, she realized, he too was only human no matter how much he blocked himself away from the world. He too carried a deep hurt.

"The Uchiha clan was flawed deeply, beyond repair," he eyed her, "You do not believe me, Hyuuga. Well then, what kind of clan makes one of their children into an ANBU captain at thirteen? At the age when you had just become a genin, I had the blood of over a hundred on my hands…"

His smooth voice faltered for just a moment, black eyes suddenly those of the overwhelmed child he must have been back then. However, the moment quickly passed.

"The clan leadership was too stubborn to change their ways. They had trained me to kill, bragged over my lethal abilities. Their pride turned to mistrust the more powerful I became and, that night, it turned to outright terror. They had created a prodigy they had no hope of ever equaling and I wanted revenge. Not one of them was innocent for the things which had been done to turn me into their representative—not my closest friend, not my parents. The only one who _was_ truly innocent was Sasuke. He wanted so much to be just like me and, had I remained the Uchiha puppet, they would have fulfilled his desire. So I killed them all and spared only his life. I freed him, but he hated me in return," he said.

"You encouraged him to become exactly what you were," Hinata protested.

Itachi shook his head and answered, "I pushed him to become everything he was capable of becoming. It was not my intention to make him into what he _did_ become. As I said, I was trained to be a killer. I was trying to show him the way as best I could."

"What about now?" Hinata asked, tone sharpening.

She was **not** about to start sympathizing with her kidnapper.

A smirk tugged at his lips as he responded, "My foolish little brother wants to rebuild the clan. It was my duty to ensure he had chosen a proper mate to do so."

Despite her best efforts, Hinata blushed at this statement, but quickly turned embarrassment to anger.

"Will you let me go then?" she asked.

The blank onyx eyes fixed on her.

"Sasuke will find you, Hyuuga. And he will rescue you from the clutches of his heartless brother in doing so. This time, I have no intention of avoiding my fate," he said calmly.

Hinata hesitated, looking at him incredulously.

"The great Uchiha Itachi has given up?" she questioned.

"I have served my purpose. I am useless and it is time for me to be discarded to make way for the next generation of Uchiha," the missing-nin said.

'_Useless?'_ Hinata wondered.

She met his gaze, mind sorting through the facts. She had been told that Itachi kept his Sharingan activated all the time. However, he had not used his bloodline limit since she had awakened. That meant that he was either very comfortable around her, which was unlikely, or…it had been said five years ago that constant use of the Sharingan was making Itachi go blind, but he never had. She had always thought it was just a rumor, but just maybe…Her lavender eyes widened.

"How long?" she asked.

He nodded approvingly toward her as he answered, "Since just after I captured you. That last use of Mangekyou was too much for my optical nerves. However, I can still sense your chakra and my taijutsu skills are nothing to be scorned."

Hinata sighed. All right then, she **was** feeling sympathy toward her captor.

"I have no intention of leaving. I have to talk Sasuke out of killing you when he gets here," she said.

Itachi stiffened ever so slightly.

"I would prefer to die at the hands of a worthy opponent rather than at my own," he said.

The woman frowned, leaning forward so that she was closer to him in order to get her point across.

"You don't need to die yet. You may be blind, but you are not useless. You and Sasuke can still be brothers," she protested.

He was shaking his head before she had even finished.

"It is too late, Hyuuga. I have made my choice and you will allow Sasuke to make his. I don't need your pity," Itachi said, voice dropping to a growl.

"Good, because pity is not what I am offering you. It's called compassion. I am marrying your brother and that makes you part of my family. I do not let harm come to my family members, so I won't let Sasuke kill you and I certainly won't let you kill yourself," Hinata matched his anger with her own as she spoke.

Had it been Sasuke she was facing, he would have responded to her anger in kind. However, this was the impassive Uchiha Itachi she faced. Instead of erupting, he leaned back comfortably on the grass, closing those sightless onyx eyes.

"You will soon have a chance to back up your words, Hyuuga. My brother is nearly here, along with three other very powerful ninja," he said.

* * *

**SmallButPowerful:** Lol. The Weasel has become a cockroach? I think he would prefer a cat comparison, though he's probably on his ninth life by now. n.n 

**You Know Me/SasukeUchiha911:** I apologize if it seemed like my fic was copying a whole bunch of other fics. I actually hadn't read any that had Itachi kidnapping Hinata, though I hope my take on it is different from the others.

**Akai-sora:** Have I picked out characters and a fandom yet...heh. Let's see, I have three Naruto chapter fics in the works, along with a one-shot. I also have an idea for a Treasure Planet story, but I'm taking my time with that one. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones that come to mind. Trust me, I have plenty to keep me busy for a long time.

I'm glad to hear that a lot of people were surprised that Itachi was alive. I was trying my hardest to keep it hidden until the end, so its good to hear that I succeeded. n.n

Please leave me a review and let me know if you like the chapter or see areas that need improvement!


	23. Chapter 21

Well, here it is...the last chapter of Miru Hoshi. I never really thought I'd make it this far, but I did thanks to the encouragement you readers provided. Thanks to you, this story has gained over five hundred reviews and over a hundred favorites and alerts. Thank you all so much for your support while I was writing this, and understanding when I was too busy to post a chapter.

I won't delay you any longer with sentimental nonsense. Enjoy this final chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I have merely borrowed them for my own pleasure, and now return them mainly unharmed since my fun is over (for now anyway).

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One

Sasuke stood at the window of the Hokage's office, eyes turning from where Naruto stood speaking with his assistant to the spot on the horizon where Kakashi had disappeared with his nin dog. Sakura stood next to him, the only sign of her concern the constant readjusting of the gloves she had pulled on in preparation for battle. For his part, Naruto was being extraordinarily patient with his protesting secretary, who was insisting that he would have to call a council meeting before going on such a dangerous mission. The Hokage knew that they could not spare the hours it would take his bickering advisors to come to a consensus. At last, mid-sentence, he cut the man off.

"We are leaving now. Nara Shikamaru is in charge until I return," he stated, turning and striding toward the window.

Sasuke was first to go, sliding out even as the assistant burst into loud objections. Sakura followed him at a signal from Naruto. The Hokage himself glanced back at the assistant, one sandaled foot already resting on the roof.

"Your Hokage has given you an order, Yoshido. If you continue resisting me, I will have to reconsider your loyalty to me and Konoha," he growled.

Frightened, the man shut his mouth and bowed.

"Safe journey, Hokage-sama," he squeaked.

The blond nodded in satisfaction, joining the other two nin on the rooftop. He had changed from his flowing robes into an all-black outfit similar to that worn by ANBU forces. His only concession to his childhood days of wearing bright orange was in the fabric of his headband.

Sakura wore tight black shorts and a sleeveless, high-necked shirt whose chief color nearly matched the emerald hue of her eyes. The fabric was patterned with shades of brown and darker green to blend in with the forest. Around her waist was an ash gray apron which contained her medical supplies. Her chin-length hair was held back by a green headband. The first time he had seen her in this outfit, Naruto had had the nerve to tease her about becoming another Gai-miniature. He had suffered a broken arm and a black eye for his impudence, though Sakura had ended up relenting and healing his arm so that he could fill out all the paperwork required of him as Hokage.

Sasuke was dressed very similarly to Naruto, though his black shirt bore the symbol of the Uchiha clan on the back. He wore no headband, having left his in Konoha when he betrayed the village. He also carried no weapons due to his probationary status. He caught Naruto scanning him and frowned slightly, lifting his chin as though challenging the blond to speak. The Hokage smile sadly, reaching into the pouch which held his kunai.

"I've been saving this for you, Sasuke," he said softly.

The Uchiha tensed as the man withdrew his hand, then his eyes widened. After a moment's hesitation, he reached out and took his old headband from Naruto's hand. It had been polished until the line which cut across the symbol of Konoha was barely visible and had obviously been well taken-care of the past eight years. Wordlessly, Sasuke tied it back on its rightful place across his forehead, amazed at how good it felt to have its familiar weight resting there. Naruto and Sakura were watching him closely, the latter with tears glittering in her eyes.

She leaned forward and hugged him quickly, whispering in his ear, "You have no idea how good it is to have you back with us."

"Let's go. Kakashi should have picked up Itachi's trail by now," Naruto said.

Sasuke was grateful for the man's focus on the mission. Judging by the emotions welling within him, he wasn't quite certain what he would have done if both his former teammates had continued watching him. He quietly followed the other two as they left Konoha.

.oOo.oOo.

The trio easily caught up with Kakashi, falling into formation behind the silver-haired man. They moved in total silence through the forest and Sasuke, in the back, was feeling his elation quickly fading. Watching the other members of his team, it was obvious to see how comfortable they were with each other. They moved as one unit, knowing what their teammate was going to do before the person even began to move. He had missed so much by leaving all those years ago. He was such a fool…

Naruto dropped back to run alongside him, glancing at him with those piercing sapphire eyes.

"If you hadn't left, Sasuke, none of us would be what we are today," he said quietly.

Sasuke could not stop the shock from spreading across his face. This man, whom he remembered as an obtuse moron, had practically read his mind. Naruto grinned at him, then quickly lapsed into soberness.

"Will you be able to control yourself?" he asked.

"I won't get anywhere with Itachi by losing my temper, if that is what you mean," Sasuke replied.

"An honest answer, at least," the blond said, "We will be right where we have always been, Sasuke—ready to back you up if you need us."

Sasuke waited for the familiar anger to flare, waited for the snarling words that would tell Naruto that he didn't need any help to defeat the man who had murdered his family, but nothing came. He had tried to do this his way once before and here Itachi was, threatening the one person he cared about the most. No, he would need help this time and he felt prepared to accept it. He simply nodded.

Naruto started back to his place in the formation, tossing something over his shoulder at Sasuke. Instinctively, the Uchiha caught it, glancing down to find a kunai pouch in his hands. It certainly was not his katana, but it was better than going against his brother totally unarmed. He started to secure it to his leg while moving, but the group abruptly halted.

The small pug Sasuke remembered as Pakkun had joined them and now he reported in his oddly deep voice, "They're just ahead of us, Kakashi. Hinata doesn't smell injured, but I couldn't get close enough to see anything without being detected."

Kakshi nodded and the dog disappeared with a puff of smoke. Naruto turned to Sasuke and nodded, his meaning apparent. The dark-haired man quickly finished tying the kunai pouch in its proper place and passed the other three members of the team. His eyes narrowed as he saw a clearing where undoubtedly his older brother was waiting for him. This was it, the final meeting that would decide everything.

Itachi would not escape him—no, would not escape _them_ this time.

He was considering the best way to approach the clearing when a smooth voice carried out to him.

"Come along, little brother. You have kept me waiting long enough," Itachi said.

Of course the man would have pinpointed their location already. Without hesitation, Sasuke walked into the clearing to meet him. His gaze quickly took in the scene. Hinata was sprawled limply on the grass, looking even more pale than usual. Itachi sat only a few feet away from her, one knee raised. His elegant, long-fingered hands were crossed over his knee and he looked utterly relaxed. He met his younger brother's gaze with flat, obsidian eyes.

"Are your friends going to join us as well?" Itachi added when it became apparent that his brother was not about to speak.

Sasuke glanced back at Hinata, again noting how pale she appeared to be. She looked almost as though she was…dead. His hands clenched into fists, Sharingan bleeding into his onyx eyes.

"I'll kill you if you've hurt her!" he growled

Itachi dared to smirk at his younger brother.

"You already tried that once, Sasuke," he reminded.

Erupting in a sudden blur of motion the naked eye could not hope to follow, Sasuke darted across the clearing. His hand wrapped around his older brother's throat, jerking the man to his feet and slamming him against a tree trunk. Itachi flinched as though surprised by this, but his face showed no such emotion.

"I know I killed you," Sasuke hissed.

"It was…a replacement. Switched it at the…last moment, but you very nearly did kill me," Itachi explained, breathing in shallow pants as his brother's hand was cutting off the flow of air to his windpipe.

"Where have you been since then?" Naruto asked, having stepped into the clearing when Sasuke attacked.

Itachi's eyes lifted to the Hokage, then returned to his brother.

"My room. I sealed it…when I left Konoha…made it into a haven just in case…I needed to disappear for awhile," he said, "Been watching you…how I knew about…Hyuuga."

Sasuke suddenly shook him like a rag doll, crimson Sharingan narrowing in fury.

"Why are you being so cooperative? Curse you, Itachi, fight me!" he slammed the lighter man against the tree trunk a second time.

When the elder Uchiha made no move to resist, Sasuke drew chakra to his free hand. Soon, the sound of a thousand chirping birds filled the air. The young man drew back his hand, ready to drive his Chidori through the murderer's exposed vital organs.

.oOo.oOo.

Hinata was fuming. Even without his Sharingan, that man was a menace. Just after he had made his little announcement, Hinata had begun to rise so that she would be ready to stop Sasuke from killing his older brother on the spot, only to find that she could not move. Somehow, Itachi had managed to place her under a genjutsu during their conversation without her even realizing it. Thus, she was forced to watch as Sasuke stormed into the clearing and confronted his brother. She winced when her fiancé slammed Itachi into a tree, even knowing that the man probably deserved it. She caught his flinch and, activating her Byakugan, saw the real reason for his unusual response.

He wasn't exaggerating when he said that Sasuke had very nearly killed him. She could see fading cuts and bruises all across his body and, of greatest concern, he was bleeding internally. It looked like the wound had healed, but Sasuke's rough handling had reopened it. If Itachi didn't get medical help soon, Sasuke wouldn't even have to kill him.

The distinctive sound of Chidori filled the air, causing Hinata's eyes to widen. She could not allow her fiancé to kill his brother. Her lavender eyes narrowed and she released a calculated burst of chakra, shattering the genjutsu. Surging to her feet, she reached Sasuke's side and caught his wrist just as he was starting to bring it toward Itachi's stomach. As the sound of the Chidori faded away, Sasuke turned his head to look at her. His crimson eyes glittered with anger, but it quickly faded when he realized who had stopped him.

"Hinata!" he exclaimed quietly, releasing his brother to take the woman he loved into his arms.

Naruto stepped protectively closer to the trio, ready to defend his friends if Itachi made a move. The missing-nin, however, was content to lean against the tree, breathing slowly and evenly. His eyes closed as he gathered his strength. Hinata might have stopped this first attempt to end his life, but he was intent on dying today.

"You can't kill him," Hinata whispered into Sasuke's ear.

He stiffened, drawing back from her.

"What?" he asked, expression disbelieving.

"I will not let you kill your brother," she repeated, voice loud and clear.

Itachi's eyes opened and a tiny, bemused smile flickered across his face. He had expected her to be more subtle in her attempt to convince his little brother, but this was even better. Sasuke would never believe that she was protecting him of her own free will. Or, if he did, their father had done a good job of instilling in Sasuke that his brother was better than he was in every way. It would be no great leap for Sasuke to assume that Itachi had managed to capture Hinata's heart during the brief time he had held her captive.

However, the one thing Itachi had not factored into his plans was the love and trust Sasuke and Hinata had built during the weeks they had been getting to know each other. Obviously upset by her words, Sasuke still motioned for her to continue. Hinata took a breath, including Naruto in her gaze.

"He is your brother, Sasuke, the only member of your family that is left. You became an Avenger because you thought that killing him would ease the pain of losing your family but, after you thought that you had killed him, it didn't make you any happier did it?" she asked gently.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but he jerked his head to show that no, it had not.

"You have never heard his side of the story and, while it certainly does not excuse his crime, it helps you understand why he did it-" she was interrupted.

"He's a murderer, Hinata-chan. Not only that, but he is a member of an organization that has caused untold harm to both Konoha and our allies. He isn't some injured bird you can take in and heal. He's a wolf with sharp teeth and claws and no sense of gratitude whatsoever. He has to pay for his crimes," Naruto said, voice hard.

"He _has_ paid, Naruto. He has lost the very ability he gave up everything to gain! He is blind and, more than that, I think he has suffered far more than we could ever imagine. You and your brother are so much alike, Sasuke, and it isn't fair that we should pardon one Uchiha because he was our friend, and condemn the other because we do not know him," Hinata argued.

Sasuke's eyes widened when Hinata announced that his brother was blind and he turned to face Itachi, staring into his obsidian eyes. Though it was hard to tell, since his dark eyes contained no pupil, by looking hard he could see that the man was focusing on his chin rather than actually meeting his gaze. Without thinking, he lifted a hand to wave it in front of his brother's eyes. Itachi smacked it away, suddenly appearing very similar to Naruto's description of a wolf ready to attack.

"I have lost my sight, not my skill," he snarled.

Sasuke was strangely pleased at the sudden loss of composure, but was even more thrilled at his realization. Itachi hadn't fought him earlier because _he wanted to die_. Despite what he said, he had to consider himself useless without his Sharingan. It would be a far better revenge to keep him alive than to end his humiliation by killing him. He turned his head to look at Naruto.

"I agree with Hinata," he stated.

"You do?" they said at the same time.

Sasuke simply nodded and Naruto appeared to seriously consider the proposal for the first time. The younger Uchiha felt an abrupt focusing of dark intent from where Itachi stood. He spun, intercepting the kunai that Itachi had been bringing toward his own throat. Following through with the motion, he twisted the elder Uchiha's arm behind his back and wrestled him to the ground. Itachi took in a sharp breath as Sasuke's knee landed on his back, face turning a shade paler.

"He's bleeding internally," Hinata said, turning her head to where Kakashi and Sakura stood at the edge of the clearing, "You have to heal him."

The silver-haired jounin held out a hand to stop his former student.

"What about the Akatsuki?" he asked.

Itachi was stubbornly silent, hoping they would just let him die. When Kakashi lowered his hand and Sakura came to his side anyway, he let out a tiny sigh.

"I put the ring on the replacement. They believe I died," he said softly.

The leader of Akatsuki would have killed him anyway once he realized that the battle had left Itachi's bloodline limit so weak that it would only be good for one more use before giving out completely.

Sakura's hands lit with green chakra, but she turned her head to gain Naruto's approval before touching the dying missing-nin. The blond Hokage considered another moment, then nodded at last.

"We'll give him another chance," he said quietly.

Hinata smiled in relief, while Sasuke felt an entirely different kind of pleasure. He could see his brother's face from where he stood, though the others could not, and he saw the flicker of despair which crossed Itachi's face upon hearing that he would live. The elder Uchiha closed his eyes as Sakura began to heal him.

As she worked, Kakashi stepped forward and put chakra-draining restraints on Itachi's wrists. Once his brother was secured, Sasuke rose from his position and drew his fiancée into his arms. He put aside all thoughts of revenge and simply held her, a tiny smile coming to his face. After a moment, they drew back from each other. Sasuke kept one arm around her as he surveyed his teammates. They had changed so much in the eight years he had been gone—well, except for Kakashi, he was forced to admit as the silver-haired jounin pulled out an Icha Icha book and buried his nose in it. His friends had gone on without him and grown stronger than he would ever have imagined. Somehow, though, their separate roads had brought them back together again and, amazingly, they were still a team. Despite what Hinata said, he didn't need Itachi. These four people were his family and their bonds were forged of far stronger things than mere blood. After eight years of wandering and an even longer time of brooding upon the past, Uchiha Sasuke was at last home.

* * *

It's not the end! The next story in this little trilogy (When You Say You Love Me) should be starting in the next week or two. This story will feature Ino and Shino on the mission that Naruto assigned them during the events of Miru Hoshi. After that fic is complete, I will return to the story of Sasuke and Co. though the third story will focus mainly on Itachi. Please stay tuned for these other stories!

**NikkiTheHyugaChik:** Don't worry, as you can see, Sasuke is not about to just up and forgive his brother after hating him for so long. He has realized that it is more painful to keep Itachi alive than to kill him at this point in time, so he is still after his revenge. It will take time for Sasuke to forgive his brother, if he ever does.

**Zetnnik:** Well, I'm letting Itachi live, but I wouldn't say it's a happily ever after as one big family. Itachi is on the outside for now, hated and under suspicion.

**Akai-sora:** Sasuke wasn't really crying, per se. He had tears in his eyes, but they didn't leak out. So technically, he wasn't crying. That's my stand anyway. Itachi was the disapproving eyes and the shadow watching when Sasuke proposed, so that's how he knew about Hinata. I apologize for not making that more clear in the story. And I had been back in college. I was out on spring break last week, but I had the joy of writing a ten-page paper, completing a LONG take-home exam, and finding a job for the summer to keep me busy. (some professors just don't understand the meaning of "break")

**Show.me.the.stars:** Actually, no, I do not read the manga. I just watch the anime. The only reason I know of for Itachi killing his clan was "to prove he was capable" or some such nonsense, unless the manga expands on his reasoning later on. Don't tell me! I'll find out eventually. n.n

**Jjayno1:** Sorry for not making Itachi put up more of a fight, but my version of him is quite depressed right now. He was famous for his bloodline limit and he had been using it almost continuously for the majority of his life. Now, he's lost it and he doesn't see that he is worth taking oxygen any longer. He doesn't believe he has any reason to fight, since he would be better off dead.

Please leave me a review! This is your LAST opportunity to do so for this story, so please take advantage of it. I would love to hear from all my readers what they thought of Miru Hoshi!


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